It All Starts With
by RandomGnome
Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Is apparently all AU now. Woo!
1. Chapter 1

Fandom: Lost Girl  
>Pairing: BoLauren, Kenzi/? (because the poor girl needs to get some)  
>Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do.<br>Rating: R with maybe NC-17 later  
>Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the latest episode.<br>Author's Note: I've never written a fanfic before but there is just so much about LG that I love and I couldn't not do this. I hope it turns out as well on paper as it does in my head. I just want to stay true to the characters. Part II will be coming as soon as I can find time.

Working Title: It All Starts With...

Part I: Some Things Never Change

"Would you just relax and enjoy the ride?" Kenzi ordered Bo in exasperation. She had been counting the number of times that her friend twitched in her seat and looked longingly at the exit of the luxury jet they were ensconced in. Six times since the plane had left the ground; even Kenzi, who had grown up wealthy was impressed by their posh ride and she could not understand Bo's fear.

Bo was not impressed.

The dark-haired, dark-eyed, normally calm succubus was acting as though she was being tortured by being belted into the seat. She had tried to back out at the last moment - the very last moment, refusing to actually enter the craft. Who would have thought that someone who had faced down monsters of every notion would turn phobic at a little plane ride?

At least it was a private jet, nobody but Kenzi, Bo, a pair of pilots, and one tasty-looking man wearing a a tailored black suit, were in attendance. Kenzi had been trying, for an hour, to engage yummy-man in a conversation - or at least some eye-sex - but he seemed oblivious to anything but a direct request. He didn't even seem to notice Bo or her 'assets', which rarely happened. She was starting to think that he was gay...or better yet, a robot.

Bo started to fidget with the buckle of her seat belt and looked at the exit again. Kenzi sighed and laid one of her small hands over her friend's, stilling them. Bo glanced at her sheepishly, but took Kenzi's hand between both of hers in a death grip. Kenzi grunted at the pain, but said nothing. She raised her free hand and snapped her fingers. Robo-steward glided forward and bowed just a little, saying nothing. Kenzi gave him a tight smile and said, "Hi. Do happen to have anything that might calm my friend's nerves?" _And save my hand from being crushed,_ she added silently. The guy stared intently at her, pretty blue eyes looking absolutely vacant, showing no signs of emotion whatsoever. Then he gave another tiny bow and moved purposefully towards the back of the plane, disappearing behind a curtain.

Kenzi turned her attention back to Bo. The succubus had reverted to squeezing her eyes shut and was muttering some kind of mantra under her breath.

"Why did you take this case? You knew from the beginning that they wanted us in Zurich. If you are afraid to fly, why did you agree to go?" Kenzi asked her friend and partner. She had no qualms about taking a case when the promised pay-out for both of them had extra zeros. She also didn't mind the travel; she loved to fly! When she was young, a cousin had convinced her to make cardboard wings, tie them to her arms, and jump off the second-story balcony of her parents' home, believing that she could fly. It hadn't ended pretty. Besides a broken arm, neither Kenzi nor cousin Niko had been able to sit comfortably for a week afterwards.

Now, the steady muted roar of the engines and smoothness of the ride was entirely enjoyable, as was the homey, informal setting of the cabin, including a sofa, a couple plush chairs, a coffee table, a giant TV, a private full-sized bathroom, and a pair of built-in niche-bunks. Everything was done with a sort of earthy feel to it, which was oddly soothing for a craft that routinely spent its time high above ground. There was probably even a kitchen in the back, wherever it was that Robo-steward had disappeared to. Screw first-class; this was the _only_ way to fly.

"Didn't know." Bo replied through clenched teeth.

"You've _never_ flown? How is that even possible?" Kenzi exclaimed. Bo's hands clamped down even harder on her one and it was her turn to grind her teeth. Just then, without a word or any other sound, Robo-steward was back at her side, proffering a metal tray. On the tray were two short glasses with three ice cubes each in them. Beside one of the cups was a little plastic cup holding two small yellow pills; the second glass shared room with a small bar of mini-bottles, a small bottle of orange juice, two bottles of Swiss water, and a baby-sized jar of pickles.

Kenzi couldn't help but grin at the strange man. "Oh you are almost as good as a brownie!" She exclaimed. No reaction, of course, so Kenzi took one glass and emptied about half a bottle of some very expensive-looking vodka into one cup and added orange juice. She poured the rest into the other glass and added a full bottle of something Swiss. She added just enough orange juice to give it some colour. She took both glasses and set them on the little coffee table; the metal tray was next, though the only response she got from Robo-steward was another tiny bow before he returned to his post in the back of the plane.

With some difficulty, Kenzi extricated her hand from between Bo's, flexing her fingers slowly to try to get circulation back, wincing a little. Then she pried Bo's hands apart and put the glass in one and the cup with the pills in another.

"Take these." She ordered the succubus. "They'll help." She hoped. It was a gamble, but the client had no reason to try to kill Bo. Kenzi's spidey-sense wasn't tingling, so she was relatively certain the pills were okay. To her credit, the succubus didn't hesitate in taking the pills and washing them down with the alcohol. Bo trusted Kenzi's instincts, too.

The human took the cup and glass and replaced it with a bottle of water. Bo didn't even ask, she just put the bottle to her lips and drank half the bottle in one quaff. She gave her friend a tight, but grateful smile, still not opening her eyes.

It didn't take long for the cocktail and pills to do their work. Kenzi sipped at her own drink and waited as patiently as she could for Bo, who finally let out a slow sigh and opened her eyes. They looked a little glassy and unfocussed, but at least she wasn't clenching her teeth and shaking anymore.

"Thanks, Kenz. I feel...better." The succubus finally said. Her voice only sounded a little slurred. "And no, I've never flown before."

"Maybe that's a good thing. But why not? You ran for all those years, how did you _not_ try to flee the country on a plane?" Kenzi wanted to know.

"No...passport. Too afraid of getting caught. Mmm, this is nice." Bo waved her hand in front of her face as though it was the best thing in the world. Kenzi rolled her eyes and wondered if the booze had been a good idea. Too late now.

"Yeah. You okay?" Kenzi asked, concerned when her friend's head suddenly lolled forward and Bo started to chuckle to herself.

"Yeah..." Bo's voice sounded kind of dreamy even as she kept up her laugh-track.

"What's so funny?"

"Zurich." Bo drew the word out and then snorted and renewed her chuckling.

Kenzi rolled her eyes. Great. Just what a six hour flight to Switzerland needed: a giggling succubus. _Well, at least she stopped trying to jump out of an airborne vehicle_, Kenzi rationalised. It wasn't like they could turn back now, not that Kenzi wanted to in the least.

Taking a job like this felt at long last as though all of their hard work over the years had finally paid off. Together, she and Bo had made a very formidable private investigator team; that wasn't something most best friends could say. Of course most people didn't have a besty that was a supernaturally hot, chi-sucking Fae with a huge heart and metric tonnes of stubbornness and guts. _Except when it comes to flying_. It surprised Kenzi that after nearly four years as partners, friends, and roommates, there was still something new to learn about Bo.

Beside her, Bo's chuckling had trailed off and was replaced by a gentle snore. _Asleep. Thank god!_

Sighing, Kenzi unbuckled herself and did the same for her friend. Very gently she eased Bo onto her side on the little couch they had been sitting on; a blanket and a little pillow had magically appeared on the little table next to the tray o' booze; for a possible robot, that guy moved like a ninja!

After Bo was safely tucked up - looking kind of adorable with a goofy, drugged up smile on her face - Kenzi decided to explore the plane just a little more. Giving Bo's hair a pat, she walked up to the ginormous television anchored to the wall in front of a comfortable arm-chair, and pushed the power button. As the TV turned on, the wall underneath the set slid open and revealed a state of the art entertainment selection; there was a multi-disc Blu-ray player, a selection of movie discs, the very newest video game consoles with controllers and games, and an array of pre-packaged snack foods. There was also a tiny refrigerated shelf that held soda, water, and some sort of Swiss juice.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Kenzi exclaimed with a grin. She perused the games and found one she liked. That decided, she put it in the game console of her choice, picked a few snacks, and a bottle of purple Swiss juice, and settled herself in one of the comfy chairs in front of the TV with a controller. Not that she wasn't happy with Bo and their home, but really, _this is the life_! Five hours wasn't enough time to save the world from the Zombie Robot Hookers, but she could at least try.

It took all of Bo's self control not to fall to her hands and knees and kiss the tarmac. Only her need to save a little face in front of Kenzi and the two people waiting to meet them as they stepped off of the plane kept her on her feet. God it was good to be on solid ground again! _Whoever decided that people should fly in metal death machines should be shot_, she thought, although she knew it was an ungracious sentiment.

She had woken from her drug-induced nap about 45 minutes before they landed in Zurich. It was just enough time for the drug-stupor to wear off and her nerves to kick in again. And the landing...Bo had thought taking off was bad, but landing was worse! Despite Kenzi's assurances that it was the smoothest landing she had ever experienced, Bo's hands had gripped her seat hard enough to tear holes in its upholstry. She hoped that their host wouldn't be too upset.

As she and Kenzi walked across the blacktop, Bo did her best to make herself look a little less sleep rumpled. She had chosen her outfit carefully, wanting to make a good impression; black slacks and ankle-high flat boots, a black tank under a long sleeved crimson button up blouse. It wasn't her normal attire, but this wasn't her normal type of client. She hoped that she looked professional enough, because a suit was out of the question.

Kenzi was wearing a typical Kenzi outfit - and rocking it with style, as usual. Bo had managed to convince her friend to leave the wigs at home only after pointing out that the young woman could probably find something new and interesting while in Switzerland. Not for the first time, Bo wondered at Kenzi's ability to put on a hair-piece and blend in just about anywhere she went.

They crossed the pavement on foot, towards where Bo had spotted two people standing next to a silver Rolls limo not far away from the plane. The car was old and both women had exclaimed over it when they spied it from the jet. It was better than a lambourgini; it was like sex on wheels. Bo couldn't believe it had been sent to take them to meet the client. Several hundred feet from the car was a helecopter, being prepped for lift off, and Bo had to suppress a shudder. Whoever that was for, could have it. She didn't plan on doing anymor flying. In fact, she was consdering finding a boat to take herself and Kenzi home when this was all over.

Two people, a man and a woman, met Bo and Kenzi a few yards from the Rolls. The man was short, stocky, and the amount of muscle he carried was evident in the way it stretched the expensive suit he wore. He had dark hair cut in a flattop, no neck, and beady dark eyes under a heavy brow. He was obviously the muscle of the two; the woman was taller than Bo and thin as a reed. She had hair that Bo would have thought dyed, because nobody could possibly have pale purple hair with blueish highlites, but on closer inspection, decided it must be natural. Fae, then; Bo wondered what kind of Fae she was and whether it would be polite to ask. The woman also wore an expensive looking suit, but fit into it better than her companion. When she saw Bo and Kenzi approach, she waved and smiled. Bo raised her hand in greeting and Kenzi did the same, looking a little awed.

"Hullo!" The Fae woman greeted them when they were within ear-shot. "Bo, isn't it?" She had a soft voice, like warm honey, and a lyrical Welsh accent. Bo liked her immediately, then caught herself. Just because she was pretty, had a great accent, and knew who she was didn't mean she worked for the client.

"Who's asking," Bo queried, keeping her voice even and friendly, but still being cautious. The client had said that she would have her people meet Bo and Kenzi at the air strip; she had also said that she had concerns about some of her people. She didn't know who she could trust.

"Of course, where are my manners?" The fae woman said with another bright smile. Her teeth, Bo noticed, were so white that if the light hit them just right, it could blind a person. "My name is Cendtra Awbrey of the Clan Ynyscedwin. My companion is Pallas Gaitanis of the Clan Au. We are here to escort you and your human to the Facility to meet with Ms. Lozac'h." She smiled again and held out her hand for Bo to shake.

A lot of names had just been thrown out to her and Bo frowned. Had she missed anything important? _What had the client said about who to trust? Oh, right!_

"I'm Bo. This is Kenzi," she gestured to her friend who seemed to be staring at the car where it idled. Hearing her name, Kenzi's attention shifted back to the conversation at hand. Her icy blue eyes narrowed at the male Fae as he glowered at both of them with ill concealed suspicion. "I have no Clan, but am here as an emissary of Fitzpatrick MacCorrigan." Bo didn't give Trick's clan at his behest, but then, everyone in Faedom seemed to know his name and it had come in handy more than once to be known as his friend.

"Excellent. You and your - er, Kenzi - have our pledge - and that of Ms. Lozac'h - of safe conduct while you remain here."

Those were the words that Bo was listening for. According to Trick, any Fae who offered a pledge of safe conduct was bound to honour it or be disgraced. It was one of the oldest known Fae laws, along with blood oaths, and the rights of guests. If the person to whom the pledge of safe conduct was made was harmed, that person had the right to ask for the life of either the being responsible for the harm or the person(s) who had given the pledge. With three bodies already in evidence in this case, Trick had warned Bo to make sure the pledge was given _before_ agreeing to anything.

Now that the formalities were out of the way, Bo took Cendtra's hand and traded grips with the Fae woman; Cendtra had long fingers and a firm grasp, though her hands were ice-cold. Following Bo's lead, Kenzi extended her hand to Pallas, but the man ignored her, like she wasn't there. That irked Bo; she had never figured out why some Fae coexisted with humans, even took them as lovers, while others of her kind treated humans as nothing more than pets. She hoped that their client was one of the former, otherwise it was going to make this job much, much harder.

"It is a real pleasure to meet you, Bo." Cendtra said, releasing the succubus' hand and actually shaking Kenzi's hand as well, which surprised them both. They exchanged a look but then turned their attention back to Cendtra.

"Likewise," Bo replied, setting a smile on her face. Kenzi nodded, though her expression was a little more mild than Bo's.

Pallas turned his head to Cendtra and rumbled something in a basso growl in a language that Bo didn't know. The Fae woman gave him an indulgent smile and patted his shoulder.

"Well, Pallas is correct. I was instructed to bring you directly to the Facility, Bo. We probably should go. The helecopter is waiting for us. Pallas will take your luggage and y- er, Kenzi, to the motel where you'll be staying."

Bo bristled at that, partly because of the talk of splitting her and Kenzi up, but mostly at the mention of the helecopter. She glanced over at the other metal death machine and couldn't supress a shudder. Luckily, a chill wind chose that moment to spring up and since her jacket was with her luggage, she hoped it would pass for a shiver of cold.

She was about to protest when Kenzi put a hand on her shoulder and said loudly, "I hate to put a wrench in your plans, but where Bo goes, I go." She didn't even look to Bo for confirmation.

She didn't have to. "That's right," Bo agreed quickly, "I'm not going anywhere without Kenzi." And she sure as hell wasn't getting on that helecopter! "And I've had enough flying for one day, thank you very much." Kenzi squeezed her shoulder, but when Bo looked at her, she could see the laughter in her friend's pale eyes. Damn it, she was never going to hear the end of this now, was she; Kenzi would mock her for years to come for this.

Cendtra and Pallas exchanged a look and he said something in not-English. Cendtra replied in a similar language and shook her head. Another gusty breeze sprang up and this time Bo really did shiver from the cold. Kenzi stepped closer to Bo - probably to use Bo to block the wind - but the succubus took comfort from her warm presence just the same. Cendtra and Pallas exchanged more words, then the fae woman turned her attention back to them.

"Very well. I understand your need to be cautious, given the circumstances. Please, get in the car and we will be off as soon as your luggage is stowed." Cendtra said with a tight smile that didn't reach her deep grey eyes.

"I'm sorry if it disrupts your plans, but, as you said, this situation requires caution." Bo said, trying to be diplomatic. Trick had warned her to be careful with how she acted. Bo was well aware that she could be _abbrasive _to other Fae; part of that was her human upbringing and part of that was her inability to put up with most Fae bullshit. But she didn't want to offend the first people she met.

"No, you are quite right. I hadn't figured on that is all. Ms. Lozac'h will understand as well. Please," she gestured at the car. Pallas tromped over and opened the door, glowering at all of them. "Don't mind him," Cendtra said in a low voice, "he is always like this."

Bo rolled her eyes and started towards the car, Kenzi on her heels. She flashed Pallas a smile as she slid into the car. Kenzi came next, quipping, "I really dig the cro-magnon thing you have going. It suits you." Bo grabbed her arm and yanked Kenzi into the vehicle before he could slam the door on her.

Inside the car was just as nice as the outside; black leather and shining stainless steele were predominant features. There was a short seat, long enough to fit three people comfortably along the back and another longer seat along the far side. On the opposite wall was a dark tinted window and an actual bar made of steele with a mini-fridge underneath, also steele. On either side of the fridge were metal racks that held various types of snacks, from chips to gummy bears to candy bars, all with Swiss names.

Upon spying the food, Kenzi made a grab for it, but Bo stopped her, grabbing her arm and pulling her onto the seat beside her. Kenzi turned a shocked/hurt expression on her face.

"Hey!" She protested, glaring at her friend.

"Don't 'hey' me." Bo retorted, "I saw how much you ate on the plane. You _can't_ possibly be hungry again." Knowing Kenzi it _was_ possible, but Bo was suddenly wary about eating or drinking anything until they had met with the client. Once she had a pledge directly from the client's mouth, she would feel a whole lot better about this situation.

"But it's _Swiss_ chocolate." Kenzi protested.

"Kenzi, we're in Switzerland. I'm sure there will be more." Bo said, but she couldn't help smiling. Kenzi sighed and sat back against the oddly comfortable seat, folding her arms across her chest, a pout on her lips. Bo reached over and put an arm across her friend's shoulders. "Did you catch anything they said to one another?"

"Nope, not a word. I think they were speaking German, or maybe Dutch." Kenzi reported, making a face. "Or Swissese? Anyways, I didn't need to know what they were saying to understand them. They're scared." She looked up at Bo who nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, I caught that, too. I think that maybe something more than three dead bodies is going on here, Kenz. Something strange."

"You worried, Mama-bear? We've dealt with strange and dead before."

"Not worried, exactly. But, we – I am – still relatively new to the whole Fae deal. Five years in and I still have to go to Trick for information." Bo replied with a frown.

"Well, you may be a super-charged she-demon with sexy powers, but Trick is old. Old wins over super powers every time. Or so the comic books tell me." Kenzi leaned against Bo and they took comfort in each other for a few minutes. "And anyway, we _bad_. Just because we don't know every kind of Fae out there doesn't mean we aren't good at what we do, right? She wouldn't have asked us here if we were incompetent." The young woman gave Bo one of her wolfish grins. "Or she _could_ have finally decided that she wants a little, you know, _bow chica wow wow_."

Bo gave Kenzi's leg a playful slap. "Somehow, I doubt that three dead people are an excuse for an international booty call." Bo sighed and closed her eyes, trying to think. It was easier now that they were on the ground and she wasn't being eaten alive by mind-numbing fear. "We _are_ pretty good at what we do, aren't we?"

"Five years in and you're just now getting that?" Kenzi rolled her eyes. She never ceased to wonder how Bo could be so blind to just how much good she actually did for people. It might have something to do with still living in the crack-shack, but then, the place had actually grown on Kenzi and she almost couldn't imagine living anywhere else. She knew Bo felt the same way since it was the first home the succubus had lived in since she had run away at 18. Home always meant something more to people who hadn't had one for a while.

Bo smiled. She loved Kenzi more than anyone else, pretty much ever. She was like the sister that Bo had never had, but had always wanted. She always knew just want to say to make Bo feel better about whatever was going on. "Okay, fine, we bad. I just don't want to disappoint –"

"- You won't! _We_ won't." Kenzi interrupted. "And look, she just called us here to consult. I don't think that she expects us to actually _solve_ the case, just wants a fresh, seasoned, new pair of eyes. But hey, we've pulled off bigger miracles before. Remember the Nain Rouge's predictions? We beat it practically with our hands tied behind our backs."

"True." Bo mused. She shook her head, trying to dispel the sense of unease that seemed stuck with her. It didn't work. Maybe it was just leftover fear from the jet ride or the beginnings of jet lag. "But we are _never_ flying again."

Kenzi snorted. "Yeah. Okay. Whatever you say, ya big succu_bust_." Bo poked Kenzi in the side for the slight rib.

There was the sound of something being opened and the thump of something else being put into the back of the car, followed by a loud bang that made the car rock a little on its springs. A few moments later, they began to move. Finally.

"We will be at the Facility in approximately 30 minutes." Cendtra's voice suddenly announced from a speaker somewhere on the ceiling of the car. "Ms. Lozac'h is aware that we are coming by car, instead of helicopter."

Bo looked around for some way to respond, but she couldn't see anything in the darkened interior of the car. Kenzi, on the other hand, leaned forward and reached up, pushing against the side of a black box that Bo hadn't even noticed was there. Then, she gestured at Bo and mouthed _Say something_.

"Um, thank you." Was all the succubus could think of to say. Kenzi rolled her eyes and let go of the button.

"You are so pathetic sometimes," she said. Bo shot her a glare, but it was half-hearted. She knew that she had a long way to go with Fae interaction. Oddly, Kenzi was sometimes better suited to it with her blunt speech and street smarts. The Fae – the ones who didn't ignore her for being human anyway – seemed to appreciate her directness. Bo tried, but being Fae herself, she was expected to know and interact in a different way, a way that she was still struggling to learn, despite Trick's best efforts to teach her.

"Well, better than being _human _all the time." Bo teased and Kenzi rolled her eyes again.

"Oh please, sistah, you _wish_ you could be as cool as me."

That made Bo laugh and it made her feel a little better to do it. "This is going to be an interesting case, I think. Stranger than anything else we've done." She said, getting the conversation back on topic.

"Bo, this is the Fae we are talking about. _Every _case we have is strange to most people. When was it that that strange became normal?" Kenzi wondered.

Bo gave it a thought and then said, "After you got kidnapped by Baba Yaga."

Kenzi shuddered, but shook her head. "Naw. I think it was before that…Maybe when I ate foot soup."

"A little Basilisk poison and you're ready to call weird normal?" Bo teased her friend. Bo openly admitted that the several times Kenzi's life had been in danger were scarier than anything else had ever been. She didn't know what she'd do if anything ever happened to her human.

"Basilisk, hell. I ate soup made from a _human_ foot. That is weirder than anything else, including the Russian Hag. And she ate _whole_ people." Kenzi grinned and it made Bo laugh again. It was good to know that no matter where they went, Kenzi was still Kenzi. Nothing, not even weirdness or the passage of time had changed her. She was the one constant in Bo's life, something the succubus never forgot. "And anyway, we can still call Trickster if we get into any trouble. I wish he would have let me bring at least one of those Trick-o-pedia books with me."

"Me too. But he hoards books like other people hoard…well, other stuff. And besides, he hasn't let a book out of his sight with you around in ages." Even after five years, some of Kenzi's old habits died hard.

"Well, such are the wonders of technology," Kenzi replied, nonplussed by the comment. She took her phone out of her pocket and turned it on. Bo followed suit and was not surprised to find a single message, from Trick, on her voicemail.

"_Bo. I just want to make sure you arrived in Zurich without any problems. Call me when you get in. Bye." _

"Aww," Kenzi said, turning off her phone and grinning up at Bo. "Trick loves me."

"Me, too." Bo told her, smiling. Ever since the Nain Rouge, since Bo had been the one to stop the war between Light and Dark, she and Trick had grown much closer. He was like her surrogate father, always there when she needed to talk, and full of all kinds of worldly wisdom. He and Kenzi were close, too, but then, he had always had a soft spot for Bo's human. He recognised that Kenzi, while often uncouth and a little abrasive, had her own kind of wisdom and he added to it whenever he could.

"I think he's just jealous that he's stuck minding The Dal while we visit the old country." Kenzi said. She was probably right. The only one of their little group who hadn't been sorry not to go was Dyson; his reason was just a little more personal.

"Well," Bo began, "we will have to get him a souvenir. Or something."

"I vote moldy old book. Or maybe a pipe."

"Trick doesn't smoke a pipe, Kenz. He doesn't smoke at all." Bo reminded her.

"Well maybe he should start. I mean couldn't you just see him kicking back, puffing on an old school pipe? Like Bilbo Baggins!" Kenzi replied with enthusiasm.

Bo rolled her eyes, though she couldn't keep an image of Trick with big hairy feet out of her mind. She started laughing despite herself and Kenzi joined in. Leave it to Kenzi!

When they both sobered, Bo said, "I just hope the money she's paying us for this is worth it." Bo hated accepting money if she felt they hadn't earned it.

"Bo, she has _billions_ of dollars. A few grand for us isn't going to beggar her. And besides, we are worth our weight in gold." Kenzi told her. "Stop worrying, Bo-Bo! This case is just like any other, okay? We can _do_ this." She patted Bo on the shoulder. "Trust me."

Bo shook her head at her friend's boundless enthusiasm and confidence. She wished that she could feel the same way, but she was nervous and wanted to impress their client, but she couldn't say why exactly.

_Come on, Bo, lighten up_, she ordered herself. _Forget about the flying death machine and focus on this case. You _can_ do this_! The mental pep-talk didn't help any more than Kenzi's had so Bo resigned herself to her nerves.

Seeing her friend was still pensive, Kenz just shook her head and opened a game app on her phone. They rode in silence for awhile.

Finally, Bo said, "Ciara was a little vague on the details she gave Trick. Just 'three dead bodies'."

"So?" Kenzi didn't look up from her game.

"So...I'm wondering what could possibly be so bad that she went over the local police and called Trick. It must be pretty bad if she thinks that she can't trust her own people and the ones she _did_ send for us are scared."

Kenzi paused her game and looked up, brow furrowing. "Yeah…You have a point. Maybe the local cops just aren't prepared for something like this? Maybe they aren't as good as Dyson and Hale are?"

"I doubt they're incompetent, Kenz." Bo replied evenly.

"I'm not saying that they are. But, Bo, just because they are Fae-cops, doesn't mean they have dealt with something like this before. And if whatever has happened is happening to the Dark as well as the Light, they may need a neutral third party. Enter, us." Kenzi explained.

Bo hmm'd at that. It was true. They could enter both Light and Dark Fae territory and people actually talked to them. And Bo's name was known by both sides, could get them in doors that were usually locked. "I wish I knew more about this Facility that we are going to." She finally said.

"I'm sure we will get all of the info we need _when we get there_. Relax for god's sake!" Kenzi went back to her game.

"This isn't a vacation, Kenzi." Bo admonished her friend sternly.

"I'm not saying it is. But you're putting me on edge and if _I_ can sense your nervousness, then other people will too. So. Stop. It." She raised her head and gave Bo an inscrutable look. Bo sighed. Kenzi was right.

"Okay, okay, okay. Fine. I'm going to try to relax."

"Ata' girl. Go to your happy place." Kenzi smiled and then turned her attention once more to whatever it was she was doing on her phone.

Bo closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest of the seat. They really were comfortable seats. She wasn't sure what her happy place was, but the least she could do was practice the meditation techniques that Trick had been trying to teach her, systematically shutting out the niggling voices of doubt in her head. If she couldn't be happy, at least she could be calm. It would have to do.

And then the car suddenly accelerated. Kenzi was knocked off balance and fell into Bo who nearly lost her own balance.

"What the hell?" Kenzi exclaimed as she sat up and away from Bo? Bo opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the speaker in the roof of the car.

_"Hello? I'm sorry about that,"_ Cendtra's voice said,_ "but I was just contacted by Ms. Lozac'h. There's been another murder."_


	2. Chapter 2

Title: It All Starts With...  
>Fandom: Lost Girl<br>Pairing: Bo/Lauren, Kenzi/? (because the poor girl needs to get some)  
>Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do.<br>Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the latest episodes.  
>Author's Note: I've never written a fanfic before but there is just so much about LG that I love and I couldn't not do this. I hope it turns out as well on paper as it does in my head. I just want to stay true to the characters. Part III will soon be on its way. Well, soon-ish.<p>

It All Starts With…

Part II: Four Deaths and the Unexpected

"Bo hello! And Kenzi, thank you both for coming." Ciara came forward with a genuine smile that didn't quite dispell the fear that Bo could see lingering around her eyes. She embraced Bo in a hug that was as real as her smile; she surprised both of them by doing the same to Kenzi.

"Uh, thank you. Interesting little place you have here." Bo hugged Ciara back, feeling only a little awkward as she did. And she was serious about the Facility.

Bo had counted ten stories on the building that appeared to be made of glass and was shaped roughly like a pyramid with a flat top. The lobby, when they entered the building, was a wash of greenary, full of leafy trees of nearly every sort. In the centre of the room was a large burbling fountain depicting a bare chested, goat-legged satyr surrounded by frolicking, scantily clad nymphs. People sat in comfortable-looking chairs and couches all in earth tones, and the tiles they walked on reminded Bo of a beach for some reason. Sunlight poured in and lent a natural warmth to the whole area. All in all, it was the nicest hospital either woman had ever seen.

"The first three floors are a medical facility," Cendtra had explained as she led them through a maze of sunny and brightly lit corridors. "The next two floors are offices for our hospital and lab staff, the next two are the labs themselves, and the top two floors are rented out to a top law firm. We also have a morgue in the lower levels so that we can help the police when it involves our people."

"Neat." Kenzi replied, being polite. Bo could tell, though, that her friend was impressed. They made their way - quickly, even Bo had to lengthen her stride to keep up with the Fae woman and Kenzi was practically jogging - to an out of the way elevator in a distant part of the building. Bo was willing to bet that there was a faster way to get there, like a private entrance to this obviously private elevator. Kenzi shot her a look as they waited for the lift to arrive and the human was catching her breath; she had the same thought, too. Intimidation? Impression? Bo didn't think that Ciara was into tactics like that.

Once in the elevator, it had taken a surprisingly short amount of time to reach their destination. So, not the top floor, then. When Cendtra had listed floors, she had only accounted for nine of them; Bo had counted ten full floors from the outside. Secrets? But she didn't ask Cendtra about it, instead she played with the plastic security pass both she and Kenzi had been given at the front desk by an overly friendly receptionist. The woman, who had delicately pointed ears hidden behind long, exquisitely coifed midnight black hair, had instructed them to wear at all times while in the building. She wondered what would happen if she didn't wear it, but wouldn't take the chance.

Exiting the elevator, they entered into another, foliage filled, sunlit waiting area. It was much smaller and felt a more personal, despite the lack of anything personal in the room. There was, however, a very nice desk with what appeared to be a state of the art computer on it and stacks of files next to it; a phone with multiple lines sat next to this and a wireless headset in a charger beside it.

Cendtra gave them a sunny smile that didn't quite reach her deep grey eyes, gestured for them both to stop beside the desk, then she sat down in the comfortable high-backed desk chair. She looked comfortable there, like she belonged, and it struck Bo that Cendtra was Ciara's secretary. Interesting that she would send her secretary to pick them up. And who, then, was Pallas?

Cendtra pushed a single button on the phone and a door behind the desk that Bo hadn't realised was there, opened.

"Please go in. Ms. Lozac'h is expecting you." The Fae woman nodded over her shoulder. Bo and Kenzi walked forward and pushed the door open, entering.

"Please, come this way, have a seat," Ciara directed them to a pair of comfortable looking arm chairs in front of a medium-sized desk that looked to be of a similar style to the one Cendtra sat at with the same high-backed desk chair.

Ciara's office was smaller than Bo expected of a billionaire who owned the building, - and several others around the world - but it was as warm and welcoming as the Faerie woman herself.

It was as full of plants as the rest of the building, from small trees to flowering vines that crawled up the windows and hung from the ceiling. The walls were covered with art of all kinds, hung in expensive looking frames. There was an overstuffed couch to one side in a small sort of niche, with a simple coffee table made entirely of metal. Everything else was done in the same earthy tones as the rest of the building, though the carpet was a deep charcoal grey.

Ciara sat in the chair behind the desk and waited for both Bo and Kenzi to take their seats opposite her. Once they were sitting down in some of the most amazing chairs Bo had ever put her ass in, Ciara let out a long sigh and blinked slowly, letting her expression fall to neutrality. It was a strange look for the fashionably dressed and usually chipper blonde woman. Bo leaned forward in her chair, waiting.

"Thank you for coming all this way; truly, I - and the local constabulary, of course - am greatful for any assistance you can offer us." Ciara told them, her voice somber.

Bo nodded her head and saw Kenzi mirroring her. "We're glad to help. But...Trick was kind of light on the details..."

Ciara nodded. "Yes, as soon as I told him that there had been three murders and that local police were hard pressed for clues, he immediately suggested you and Kenzi for the job." She frowned and then shook her head as if trying to dispell a thought she didn't like.

Kenzi tilted her head to one side and asked, "So what can _you_ tell us?"

Ciara reached up and brushed at a strand of her blonde hair that had fallen into her eyes; her hair was much longer than the last time Bo had seen her. The pretty Fae woman then rested her elbows on the desk and steepled her fingers.

"Two weeks ago, a body was found. The victim was Dark Fae and upon inspection of the body, it was found that he had been bitten several times by a large snake of unknown origin. My staff was able extract a sample of the venom from his blood and it is like nothing we have ever see or have on record." Ciara dropped her hands flat on her desk. "Three days after that, another body was found, several miles from the first. This was a Light Fae, and she appeared to have been trampled to death by something large, with cloven hooves. At first, it was thought to be an accident, perhaps a giant wild boar or heard of something. But the doctor who did the autopsy found a single bite mark from the same snake as the previous victim, as well as venom in the blood."

"So this one didn't die from the venom?" Bo asked, a little confused.

Ciara shook her head, "No. The doctor who did the autopsy stated that while there was some venom near the bite wound, it hadn't travelled very far in the blood stream, leading her to conclude that the bite was administered _after_ the victim was dead."

Bo frowned at that. If death was caused by the stampede or whatever, why had the victim been _bitten_ as well? That didn't make any sense. She looked over at Kenzi and could tell that her partner was thinking along the same lines.

Ciara paused, as though waiting for them to say something. When neither did, she continued, "Four days ago, the police found a third body, another of the Light. This one had been mauled by some sort of great cat, but bigger than anything seen in the area since the last ice-age. There are some people in the area with...pets...but those animals were ruled out as suspcects. And..." she trailed off. Her hands folded together tight enough that Bo could see her knuckles turn white.

"Let me guess," Kenzi said, "there was a bite on this one, too?"

Ciara nodded slowly. "Several, actually, almost like the first victim. But the body was...badly damaged...by whatever did the mauling. It took my doctor some time to find them. And it was her conlusion that all of the bites, save one, were done _after_ time of death."

Bo binked at that. "Is that when you called Trick?"

"Yes. It was obvious, by then, that these killings weren't normal," Ciara told them. "I'm old, but not nearly so old as Trick. I thought that he might be able to tell me what kind of Fae would kill like this."

"He didn't know," Bo guessed.

"Correct. He said he needed more information, should see a body up close, but given his circumstances, he knew that was impossible. That was when he suggested sending you and Kenzi." The Fae woman concluded. She unclenched her hands and her expression thawed just a bit. "I agreed immediately. You _do_ seem to have a knack for getting to the bottom of things."

Kenzi shot Bo a look of _I told you we are good_, and Bo had to bite back a smile. "Can you tell me anything about the new murder?" She asked gently.

Ciara shrugged and shoom her head sightly. "The body arrived a short time before you did. My doctor should be examining it; this autopsy is our top priority."

Bo made a thoughtful noise. Kenzi made a face, wrinkling her nose. "It's all yours, Bo-Bo." The human said; she had never really gotten used to seeing bodies, as sometimes happened on their cases. She was not opposed to pictures, but actual dead bodies were high on her _ick_ factorometer. Bo didn't mind them so much and had even learned some basic forensics and anatomy to make their jobs easier. And so that they didn't have to rely overly on the Ash or his lab. No matter what part Bo had played in saving the entire Fae race from destruction, she was still unaligned, and she had never gotten on well with authority.

Ciara looked back and forth between the two women, a look of gentle puzzlement on her face. "Erm, pardon?"

Bo gave her a tight smile. "Ciara, you don't happen to have any kind of...comprehensive file for the murders so far, do you?" The succubus asked. She thought she knew the answer, but it was better to ask than to just expect.

"Oh yes, of course," she responed brightly, "I had copies of everything made for you." She put up a hand in a 'give me a moment' gesture and pressed a button on her phone until it made a _buzz_ sound. "Cendtra, could you please call Doctor Monson and ask him to bring up the files I had him put together?"

_"Of course, right away."_ Came Cendtra's voice. It sounded much more confident than it had earlier; she must've been way out of her comfort zone at the air strip, Bo realised. That accounted for some of the anxiety she'd sensed.

"Thank you. Now," Ciara turned her attention back to the two investigators, "what were you saying a moment ago?"

Kenzi sighed and made a face again. "Bo is going to want to see the new body."

Ciara looked startled.

"It's for Trick. He's going to want some kind of first hand account." Bo explained; Kenzi rolled her eyes. She knew better.

Ciara didn't see Kenzi - which was probably for the best - and nodded her agreement. "Oh, I didn't think of that. Of course. Though before I have you escorted to the morgue, there is a matter that I would like to discuss with you. Two, actually, but one is more...delicate...than the other."

"Oh?" Bo raised an eybrow. Ciara looked slightly embarrassed as she glanced uncertainly at the human. "You can speak freely in front of Kenzi, we have no secrets." The succubus earned a small smile from her friend at that.

"Alright," Ciara said slowly. She shifted in her chair, obviously unsure of how to begin. Finally, she said, "As your host, it is my responsibility to see to your needs and comforts while your here. To that end, you have a suite of rooms at the most exclusive hotel in Zurich and I've arranged to have you driven wherever you need to go." She paused to consider her next words, "Bo, what do you require in terms of...your _Hunger_?"

"Huh? Oh!" Bo understood the question. "I hadn't thought of that..." Back home, she had a regular 'menu' of people and Fae who were more than willing to help her heal when she needed to, or to help her feed her _hunger_. She hadn't even thought about that aspect of herself when she agreed to come here.

"I made sure she ate before she got on the plane." Kenzi piped up, trying to be helpful and earning her a reproachful look from Ciara.

Bo shook her head, partly in amusement, "I need to replenish my store of _chi_ about every three days or so. More often if I use any energy for...other purposes, or if I need to heal." She told her host honestly.

Ciara pursed her lips. "I took the liberty of polling those of our people who work here, after I sent for you. Several have expressed their willingness to...provide what you require. I would like it if you could...choose...before you leave for the hotel."

This surprised Bo. She hadn't really expected this kind of hospitality. "Okay..." she drew the word out. She looked at Kenzi to find icy-blue eyes glittering with barely contained amusement. Damn it, she wasn't going to get out of letting her friend come along when she made her choices. She also knew that at some point, Kenzi was going to make some wise-ass remark about it. God, she loved the wee human; Kenzi kept life entertaining.

"Excellent." Ciara looked relieved to have the convesation over with. Bo agreed. The Faerie woman pressed the button on her phone again and spoke. "Please have security send someone up to escort our guest to the morgue. And tell the doctor that she will have a guest. Thank you, Cendtra."

_"Yes ma'am,"_ came the soft feminine voice over the intercom, she pronounced the second word like 'mum'.

"Alright, security will escort you in a few moments, Bo. Kenzi can remain here until Doctor Bronson appears with the files I requested." She looked a little annoyed that this doctor seemed to be taking his sweet time getting there.

"Thank you, Ciara." Bo said, meaning it.

"Don't thank me yet," the fae replied, her voice a little bitter, "You haven't yet met with the trio in charge of the investigation. That was the other detail I wanted to discuss with you. I've arranged for you to meet with Inspectors Vard, Vard, and O'Connell tomorrow afternoon. They are..." she shook here head, at a loss for words.

"Why do two of them have the same last name?" Kenzi wanted to know.

"Erika Vard is a Gemini." Ciara said by way of explanation. Kenzi's eyes widened. Hale had actually told her about his 'encounter' with a single Gemini.

"Wow. How does that work?"

"The Trio, as they are so called, have a very, very good track record - they are exceptional at their jobs. I tell you this only because this case has them utterly perplexed. They welcome your help, Bo, however..."

Bo got it. She had worked with Dyson and Hale on more than a few cases where the dynamic duo had been stymied. "Pride goeth," she muttered.

"Oh great, they're going to be cranky. Gotta love cranky cops." Kenzi piped up, shaking her head in dismay. "Bo isn't going to have to 'calm' them down is she?" She used air-quotes to expound her meaning.

"No, nothing like that. I hope." Ciara supplied hurriedly. "They said they would be co-operative. Just...try not to rub their face in their failure."

"We will do our best. I -" Bo was cut off by a buzz from the phone on Ciara's desk.

Ciara pressed the button down and Cendtra's voice announced that Bo's security escort had arrived.

"Very well." All three women stood, but Ciara didn't move from behind her desk. She just watched as Kenzi followed Bo to the door. Before she opened it, Bo stopped and leaned in close to her friend.

"I think there's something she isn't telling us. See if you can get it out of her?" She requested quietly.

"Me? You don't think she'll actually talk to me, do you?" Kenzi protested.

"Just give it a shot, Kenz. We'll compare notes when I get back." This last sentence was said loud enough for Ciara to hear.

"Right." Kenzi replied, winking at Bo. "Have fun with the dead guy."

Bo gave her a playful punch on the shoulder and a grin that wasn't feigned. Kenzi answered with a playful smile of her own. She shut the door behind her friend, trusting that the succubus could look after herself for awhile. She turned around and gave Ciara her sunniest smile as she moved back to her chair and sank into it.

"Where did you get these chairs?" She practically groaned in pleasure. "I've never sat in anything so...it's like a hug! For my ass!" Kenzi closed her eyes. She was rewarded by a genuine laugh from Ciara and opened her eyes to flash the Faerie one of the looks she had perfected over the years. It was almost always guarenteed to get someone to talk about something they didn't want to. Bo called it Kenzi's super-power.

Ciara opened her mouth to respond, but was stopped when a door that Kenzi hadn't even known was there – for the second time! What was this place, a castle? – opened beside the couch.

"Mummy!" cried a voice and the form of a small child charged through the opening and flung itself at the woman behind the desk. Ciara's face registered surprise for a split second before she broke out in a broad grin and caught the child up in a strong hug.

"Escaped again, did you?" The Faerie asked, laughing, as she detached the child's arms from where they were wrapped around her neck. She gave the child a kiss on each cheek, eliciting a high pitched giggle.

"Yah, yah!" The child agreed, nodding vigorously and bouncing up and down on Ciara's lap. "Mummy, go home now!"

Ciara's face fell and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, my darling, Mummy has to work for a little while longer." The little boy – Kenzi had yet to see a face, but she was sure it was a boy – began to sniffle and Kenzi recognised the revving up of a tantrum when she saw it. "No, no, don't cry, my love. Here now," she hugged the child to her once more, rubbing his back in slow calming circles, "why don't you meet Mummy's friend?"

At the mention of another person, the child quickly forgot his tears and swung his little face around until he saw Kenzi. Then, he grinned and scrambled down from his mother to run around the desk and stand, hands on hips, in front of Kenzi. He was pretty adorable; he had wheat-blonde hair that curled carelessly around his face, rosy, cherubic cheeks, a cute button nose, and generous cupids bow lips. What caught Kenzi's attention the most, though, were his deep eyes – kind of a blue shot through with grey and it took her only a moment to realise where she had seen eyes of that sort before.

"Kenzi, I am proud to introduce my son, Stefan. Stefan, this is Mummy's friend, Kenzi." Ciara smiled as she gave the introduction. As though the words were a command, the boy flashed Kenzi a killer smile and held out his small hand to her.

"Hullo, Ken-zi," he said jovially. Not sure what else to do and not wanting to hurt the boy's feelings, Kenzi took his outstretched hand – tiny, even in her small hands, and warm and a little sticky – and gave it a few pumps up and down. This delighted the child and he giggled again.

"Nice to meet you, Stefan," she replied, giving him her sunniest smiles. He took this as an invitation and she suddenly found her lap full of happy, wiggling little boy. "Oh, okay…" She looked up at Ciara, not sure what else to do. The boy took hold of a lock of Kenzi's midnight hair and rubbed it against his cheek, smelling it as he did so. Then, he threw his arms around Kenzi's neck in a fierce hug and gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek. She laughed at his antics, though she was completely taken aback by how friendly he was. Especially…

"Oh dear! I'm sorry, Miss!" A plump young woman came through the same door the boy had come from, a look of horror on her round face. Her comment was not directed at Kenzi, however, but towards Ciara. "He just slipped away when my back was turned."

Stefan saw the woman come into the room and he clambered down from Kenzi's lap. He ran around the desk to hide behind the chair his mother sat in. He peered around the back, glaring at the newcomer, and lifted his upper lip at her. An actual _growl_ came from his throat. Ciara stiffened and stood abruptly.

"_Stefan_." Her voice was low and hard and a little bit scary; Kenzi would never have expected it could come from Ciara. The boy froze and looked up at his mother. Kenzi watched, fascinated, as the Faerie woman knelt on one knee and pulled the boy from behind her chair, and then trapped his arms at his sides. "_We do not show our teeth to _friends," she scolded. Stefan whined, sounding like a little puppy, as he looked away from his mother in capitulation. "You _will_ apologise to Ana. You _will_ go with her until I come for you. Do you _understand_?"

Stefan whined again. "_Mum-my_! Wanna go home!"

Ciara sighed; she let go of Stefan's arms. "I know, my darling. I'm sorry. It's only for a little while longer, I promise." Stefan stuck his lower lip out and Kenzi could see that she was starting to wilt. The newcomer could see it as well and she moved quickly to Ciara's side, crouching down and holding out her hand to the little boy, bright smile on her face.

"Stefan, would you like to come with me and play a game?" Ana asked her voice gentle and soothing.

Still not looking at them, Stefan shook his head slowly and scuffed the toe of his shoe on the carpet. He mumbled something that Kenzi couldn't quite make out and it made Ciara sigh again. She spoke a few words to him in a language that Kenzi didn't know, and then she kissed his cheek and pushed him towards Ana. Ana picked the boy up, balancing him on one of her wide hips. He didn't protest, but he didn't look happy, either. Ciara waved as Ana carried Stefan out of the room and closed the door. When it was shut, Kenzi could not tell that a door had even existed. She wondered if it was Fae magic or just really good architecture.

Ciara came around the desk and sank wearily into the chair next to Kenzi. She gave the human a weary look and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she apologised, "sometimes I work longer than I intend and he likes to confound the women who watch him. Under normal circumstances, I would allow him to stay until it was time to go home."

"Being a working single mom isn't easy. But then," Kenzi paused and regarded the Fae woman seriously, "Dyson doesn't know he's a father, does he?"

"No," Ciara replied evenly, "he doesn't."

"Why not?"

"Because he didn't want _me_." Ciara replied, her voice sad and defeated. "Kenzi, I love that man with everything I have in me. I always have. But Dyson…" She shook her head.

"It isn't his fault," Kenzi told her, "not really. The Norn took –"

"- I know what she took!" Ciara exclaimed, colour rising on her pale cheeks. "It took me nearly six months to learn, but I found out." She finished. She sighed and put her hands over her face. Kenzi stayed silent. "Look, I didn't know that I was pregnant until _after_ I came here. I didn't tell Dyson because I didn't want him to think that he was…obligated to stay with me."

"Okay," Kenzi drew the word out, "but do you really think that he wouldn't take your wishes into account? He's not a complete ass, despite everything else." She felt the need to at least try to stand up for big scratchy-faced, grumpy detective. He was still friends with Bo after all and they often worked together on cases. Kenzi had decided long ago that if Bo, of all people, could stay friendly with the man that she had always loved, and could be grown up about it, so could she. It wasn't easy, though, seeing that sad, faraway look in her best friend's eyes sometimes, but it gave Kenzi a sense of pride that the succubus was able to keep going. If only Bo had found someone else - besides her little snack-folks and heal-bang buddies – to fill up the hole in her heart that Dyson had left. And then there had been –

"_Doctor Bronson is here,"_ Cendtra's voice came out of the speaker on Ciara's desk, breaking Kenzi's chain of thought. The Fae woman looked up, a relief for the change evident on her face. She stood and moved back to sit behind her desk. She composed herself, putting on a smile that didn't reach her eyes, but only someone who knew her well would recognise the mask for what it was.

"Send him in," Ciara ordered. Kenzi sat up straighter in her chair and turned her head to look towards the door.

It opened slowly and admitted a red-haired man in a white lab coat, with his arms full of file-folders. He strode into Ciara's office with a wide smile and made a bee-line for the desk, stopping short only when he noticed that there was another person in the room.

"Oh, hello there," he turned his smile on Kenzi. The young woman was immediately aware that there was something different about him, though she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Hi," she replied, not sure what else to say. She noticed that he was clean-shaven, that his hair was the same colour as a carrot, and that he had eyes so green they looked like the leaves of the plants crawling up the windows, the sun making them glow. He also had deep dimples in both cheeks, a few freckles scattered across his nose, and wore a silver stud in the cartilage of his left ear.

"Doctor Bronson, thank you for joining us," Ciara said, and neither Kenzi nor the doctor missed the little bit of acid in her voice.

He turned his attention back to the woman behind the desk, his cheeks flushing just a little. "My apologies, Ciara, I had some technical difficulties. I was, however, able to get all of the information you requested." He nodded to the stack of files in his arms.

"Did the Trio give you any problems?" Ciara's brow furrowed.

"Vard-Prime tried to give me trouble. O'Connell came to my rescue. They are _eagerly_ waiting to meet your consultant." The tone of his voice on the last sentence told Kenzi just how "eager" these detectives were. Swell; hopefully Bo could charm them.

Ciara rolled her eyes. Then she gave Kenzi an apologetic look. "They really aren't as bad as they sound, I promise. Oh, where are my manners?" She gestured and said, "Kenzi, this is Doctor Colin Bronson, Colin, I am pleased to introduce Kenzi, one of the consultants I've hired to help us with this case."

Kenzi stood up. She tried to offer her hand to the doctor, but his arms were full of files. "Hi. Nice to meet you," she said. Colin turned his gaze completely on Kenzi and she had to fight not to blush. He was actually kind of good looking, in a straight cut kind of way. "Are those for me?"

Colin blinked those amazing green eyes at her, and then looked down at what he held in his arms as though he had forgotten they were there. "Oh! Yes!" He looked perplexed for another moment and then set the files gingerly on the edge of Ciara's desk. He reached out his hand and grasped Kenzi's in a firm grip; his fingers were long and supple and warm. "A pleasure to meet you, Kenzi. I do hope that you and your partner can help us put a stop to this terrible business." He said amiably. He wasn't British, had no accent that Kenzi could discern, but his speech pattern was definitely that of someone well-heeled. Despite that, the human couldn't help but to like him almost immediately.

"We'll do our best," she replied, only absently aware that she still held his hand, as well as his gaze. "Maybe Bo and the other doctor will find a clue on the new dead guy."

Colin frowned at that. "This Bo has gone down to the morgue?" He looked back at Ciara and when he had stopped looking at her, Kenzi became aware that they were still holding hands and she dropped hers to her side, again trying not to blush. Whoa, what the hell was wrong with her?

"Erm, yes," Ciara told him. "I agreed that she needed to see one of the bodies for herself. Doctor Lewis will just have to play nice."

"Ciara, you know how territorial she can be. She's worse than the Trio, sometimes. And if Bo does find something that she missed…Lauren _hates_ having her nose rubbed in her failure."

Kenzi heard his comment, but it took a moment for it to register. "Bo wouldn't rub any – hang on!" She swivelled her head to stare at Ciara and then back to Colin and then back to Ciara, mouth agape. She tried to make words, but nothing would come out.

"Kenzi?" Ciara looked mildly alarmed. "Kenzi, what's wrong?"


	3. Chapter 3

Fandom: Lost Girl

Pairing: Bo/Lauren, Kenzi/? (because the poor girl needs to get some)  
>Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do.<br>Rating: R with maybe NC-17 later  
>Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the latest episodes.<br>Author's Note: I've never written a fanfic before but there is just so much about LG that I love and I couldn't not do this. I hope it turns out as well on paper as it does in my head. I just want to stay true to the characters. No more school! Part IV should be a little faster in coming, but I can't make any promises.

It All Starts With…

Part III: A Surprise

The ride in the elevator down to the basement of the huge building was a quiet, somewhat awkward ride for Bo. She wanted to strike up conversation with the cute brunette security guard that had come to escort her, but the blank, almost bored look on the guard's face made her keep her mouth shut. A few times, Bo could have almost sworn that the guard had disappeared, but when she turned her head, there the guard was, still looking like they would rather be anywhere else. Weird.

The basement of the Facility was like most other such buildings that Bo had been in. The walls were white-washed cement; the floors were some sort of cheap black linoleum tiles. The only thing different about this place was the bright lighting. After the dimness of the elevator, Bo had had to squint upon stepping into the hallway. It was almost as bright as the top part of the place was. It was also pleasantly warm and dry, missing that dank and ick such places always seemed to have. The longer Bo walked down the corridor, the more she got the feeling that Ciara had put a lot of time and money into making this basement as comfortable as she had the upstairs.

This supposition paid off when she and her escort passed the first of several little alcoves set up with either a pair of small couches and a table, or a couple of reclining chairs and a bookshelf stuffed with books of all different kinds. Each one of the little areas had plants as well, either hanging from the ceiling or in big clay pots near the entrance. She also noted that while there didn't appear to be another living soul in the area save herself and the guard, she felt like she was being watched by something or several of them. That kind of gave her the heebie-jeebies, but she just kept walking down the hall, guard at her side, eyes straight ahead.

Finally, at the end of an absurdly long corridor, they came to a kind of foyer with a big metal sink on one wall, closest to the big metal double-doors. Another wall held a closet filled with white or blue lab coats and then a small counter-top that held boxes of surgical gloves in all sizes, boxes of those weird blue shoe covers, and a box of surgical masks. It was the first time since Bo had walked into the building that she finally felt the familiar sterility that she had come to expect when dealing with anything medical. It even smelled like crappy lemon sanitizer. That was very strangely comforting and Bo couldn't figure out why she felt that way, since normally, she hated hospitals and morgues alike for exactly the same reason. Damn it, maybe that plane ride had gotten to her more than she thought.

When she tried to push open the big doors that presumably led into the actual morgue, Bo was surprised to find that they wouldn't open. She looked at her hovering guard for an explanation. The guard actually rolled her eyes at Bo and pointed to the lab coats, the sink, and then the counter top. Bo wasn't stupid; obediently, she found a blue lab coat in her size and put it on, washed her hands in hot water, then got booties, gloves, and a mask. She felt kind of ridiculous, but she turned back to the guard and shrugged her shoulders. Rolling her eyes again, the guard pointed to Bo's chest. Confused for just a second, Bo looked down at herself and spotted the badge she wore. Oh. Of course. Giving the woman a small, annoyed smile, Bo then walked forward and passed the badge over the small black lump of plastic that she found beside the door. There was a hiss and then the metal doors slid apart.

Bo entered into a very small space and the doors hissed closed again. There was another sound, something hydraulic maybe, and then a dry fog suddenly filled the room. Bo automatically held her breath, not sure if the stuff was safe to breath in and not wanting to find out the hard way. The mist dissipated quickly and she let out the breath and looked at the new set of doors in front of her. She dragged the badge across the plastic lump and they slid open too. Bo idly wondered just how high of a clearance Ciara had set her up for.

Inside the doors, Bo stopped dead in her tracks. The first thing she noticed was the smell: cooked, somewhat charred meat. She had, unfortunately, smelled the like before and not just when Trick made roast at The Dal. Whoever the victim was, they had been at least partially burned. _Eew_, it was a good thing Kenzi hadn't come down with her.

The second thing that Bo noticed, the thing that caused her to freeze, was the person who was bent over the body on the exam table.

She hadn't seen or heard from her in three years, hadn't even been sure that she was still alive, but Bo knew it was her; she would know that distinctive aura anywhere. Even in the shapeless white lab coat, Bo could tell that her body still held the delicious curves that sometimes haunted her dreams on cold lonely nights. The dark blonde hair was longer than she remembered, pulled back in a tight no-nonsense tail, revealing the strong, clean lines of the woman's neck and jaw.

"_Lauren."_ Bo whispered before she could stop herself.

At first, she couldn't be sure that the doctor had heard her, words muffled by the surgical mask she wore. But even though the woman didn't react physically, Bo watched her aura – normally a very pleasing shade of pale soothing blue with hints of sea-green swirling through it for emphasis – spiked and flared the way it always had whenever they were together. Slowly, hesitantly, the figure straightened and turned around. She wasn't wearing a mask at all and with her hair pulled back, Bo could see her entire, still lovely, face and the surprised milk-chocolate coloured eyes of the woman she had once cared very deeply for.

"Bo." So many emotions were held in that one word and in Lauren's eyes, though the doctor tried to hide them; surprise, understanding, regret, and maybe just maybe a little bit of happiness. "That makes sense. Who else does Ciara know?" That was said partially to herself, but loud enough for Bo to hear.

"Oh," Bo cleared her throat, trying to find her voice. "I didn't know you were here." She said when she could speak. _Why the hell hadn't Ciara warned _her? Her heart had started skipping beats, her palms began to sweat inside the surgical gloves.

_Damn it_, why in the hell did she suddenly feel like a giddy kid? She was over Lauren, had been for years. She had to be; Lauren's sudden departure three years ago, with her newly un-cursed girlfriend, had surprised everyone. She hadn't said good-bye to anyone, had just disappeared the day after the new Ash had granted her freedom. Bo had been devistated, sure that something untoward had happened to her, though neither Dyson nor Hale had found any sign of foul play.

In the end, Bo had had to accept that the doctor was just gone, that _she_ hadn't been good reason enough for Lauren to stick around. Then again, after five years of slavery, part of Bo wasn't surprised that the human hadn't wanted to be anywhere near the people who had held her as a virtual prisoner.

Except that she was here, in a Fae run medical facility; so much for that thought.

Lauren didn't reply at first. Bo watched the doctor's gaze rake her from top to bottom, feeling as though she were being stripped naked under the intensity of it. The human's aura kept flaring, the peaceful colours shifting to electric and back again. Finally, Lauren smiled shyly at Bo. Just that smile, as small as it was, made Bo smile back; she realised belatedly that she was wearing the stupid surgical mask. She pulled it down from her face so that Lauren could see her; the blonde's aura suddenly crackled with intensity so bright that Bo had to squint her eyes. It dampened down a moment later - Lauren reigning in her emotions. Bo had seen that many times in the past.

"I can't believe it's you. I should have known, though...I...Um, hi." Lauren's familiar shy semi-babble was still as adorable as it had always been.

Bo wanted to say something snarky, wanted to be angry, but when she opened her mouth to speak, the only thing that came out was, "Hi." Honestly, though, what else could she say after three years? _Where have you been? __I've _missed_ you. __Why did you leave me? God, she's still as beautiful as ever._

They stared at each other for a few moments more, before Lauren cleared her throat and looked away first. "I take it you're here to see my newest patient?"

Bo dropped her eyes to the body lying on the cold metal exam table and nodded. "For Trick." When she looked back at the human, Lauren's smile had warmed considerably at the mention of the barkeep's name. They had been friends once, the doctor and the once-king. Her leaving had hit him harder than he admitted, but he had never been as angry as Bo had.

"How is he? Is he well? How is The Dal? Did he ever get a mechanical bull like I suggested?" Realising that she was rambling again, Lauren abruptly closed her mouth and rolled her eyes skyward. "Sorry."

"He's good. The Dal is even more popular than ever, but no mechanical bull, sorry." Bo told her and she couldn't help laughing just a little at Lauren's crestfallen expression.

"Oh. Is Kenzi here with you?"

"Yeah. She's upstairs with Ciara and another doctor." Bo hesitated before asking, "So how have you been? How's Nadia?" It was kind of a dumb question, she knew that, but it was better to get it overwith.

Lauren looked away, down at her feet. "She's gone. Two years ago. She...but I'm fine." She turned away from Bo and back to the corpse. "Unlike our new friend here."

Bo didn't like the abrupt change in topic, but she let it go. For now. She wasn't going to let Lauren get off that easily, not after three years. When there was time, when they got a break in the case, then she would pull the good doctor aside and demand to know why she had left without saying goodbye.

Instead she moved to stand on the opposite side of the exam table and looked intently down at the corpse. It wasn't as bad as she had thought upon smelling it; only parts of it were charred black while the rest looked uniformly light brown. It was as though the poor person had been roasted like, well, a roast. The skin was swollen and Bo got the feeling that if she pressed too hard, it might split open and spill the internal juices onto the table. Strips of burned cloth stuck to the skin in various odd places, but was gone for the most part.

"What _can_ you tell me?" Bo wanted to know as she studied the body, tracking from head to foot and making mental notes as she did.

"I haven't been able to do anything but a preliminary exam," Lauren sounded apologetic. "I will know a lot more once I get some blood and tissue samples and have the lab run some tests."

"Okay. Just tell me what it looks like to you, doctor. I know it's hard to tell, but do you think this is related to the other three murders?" Bo inquired. She gingerly picked up one of the corpse's hands and looked closely at the blackened remains. "Won't be able to get fingerprints," she commented.

"I noticed that," Lauren replied in a 'thank you captain obvious' tone of voice. "I was able to get a mould of the teeth, however," she pointed to the small desk in the far corner of the room where Bo noticed a plastic evidence bag sat. The succubus flushed just a little. She had forgotten, just a little, how smart Lauren was and how well prepared she always seemed to be.

"Sorry." She said, trying to sound sincere. "I'm not used to competency these days. Did you do the autopsies on the other three victims?"

"Yes. My assistant, Colin, should have the full reports for you. And I will let Ciara know when I have the work-ups done."

"What's it like? Working for her?" Bo asked suddenly, not sure where the question had come from.

Lauren looked up from the body and tilted her head quizzically, her lips curving into a small knowing smile. "Different. Good. She treats me like...like a friend, not just a human."

"Oh. That's good." Bo looked away this time, feeling incredibly awkward.

"Nobody owns me." Lauren told her quietly, "Not ever again."

Bo jerked her head up and she couldn't help the fierce grin that split her face. "Good." She said, pride and approval in her voice. Lauren's answering smile was just as fierce.

And then the moment ended and they both looked back down at the dead body. It was Lauren who broke the awkward silence first, clearing her throat and saying, "It's too soon to tell if we are dealing with the same killer, but my gut tells me yes. I'm willing to bet that I find venom somewhere in the body. Oh, that's interesting...Here, help me."

Bo did as she was bid, picking up the arm with the blackened hand and forearm. Very, very slowly she followed Lauren's movements until the hand was positioned on top of the sternum; she frowned, now seeing what Lauren had.

There were two spots on the upper chest that looked lighter than the rest of the cooked flesh. When Bo had set the hand down, it had fit almost perfectly into the spot, so had the hand that Lauren was moving. It wasn't quite right, though, and the more Bo stared the more a picture formed in her head. She stepped away, her own hands coming up to her chest, palms flat against her breasts, mimicking the corpse. Then she turned her hands around, palms facing outward and nodded to herself. She looked at Lauren for confirmation.

Lauren had been watching the succubus closely, trying to follow Bo's train of thought. She nodded solemnly when her opinion was asked. She mirrored Bo with her hands at chest level and then looked at the body, inverting the hands in her mind. "Yeah, that works." She picked up the hand on the chest, looking at it very, closely. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so she walked around to the other side of the table and picked up the other hand. Finding nothing, she went back to the other side of the table.

Bo stood back and tried to observe while not getting in the way. She couldn't help but smile to herself because there was _still_ something irrisistable about Lauren when she was getting all science-y and doctor-y. The succubus licked her lips and then forced her eyes to close so that she could focus on controlling her emotions like Trick had taught her.

"Are you alright?" The doctor asked her, concern in her voice. "Bo?"

Bo let out a slow breath. "Yeah. Just a little tired. I might have jet lag?" It was a lie, but if she knew, Lauren didn't let on.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot about the time difference. Okay, well," she looked at the body once more and shook her head. "I can't determine cause of death just yet. All that I can tell you from my obsevations so far is that our victim was a caucasian woman, mid-20s to early 30s. I am going out on a limb when I say that she's Fae, though what kind, I'm not certain. And as you were so clever to point out, she may have tried to defend herself. That's big, Bo. None of the others showed any defensive wounds."

"Wait, none? Are you sure?"

"None. I am good at my job, Bo. I know what a defensive wound looks like." She sounded just a little wounded.

"Right. Sorry." She gave the doctor another apologetic smile. "That just seems...wrong. The last time I saw a body with zero defensive wounds, Vex was involved. You don't think it's another Mesmer, do you?"

"No," Lauren said slowly, shaking her head. "It doesn't fit. Mesmers will usually make their victims harm _themselves_. And besides, if these killings were sanctioned, we would have been told. Well, Ciara and the Trio would have." She ammended. Ciara would have informed her, though, so that she didn't spend too much time on the exam. "No, this is something different."

Bo wracked her brain, trying to come up with some kind of Fae that dealt in fire. There were several, but none who killed by roasting a victim in its own skin without eating it afterwards; most Fae were loathe to waste food.

"What are you thinking?" Lauren asked, breaking Bo's chain of thought.

"Huh? Oh. I know of a few Fae who kill with fire, but none stupid enough to leave a meal behind. I'm going to call Trick later and see if he can come up with anything I'm missing."

Lauren nodded in agreement. "Okay. I...I will see if I can find anything else. Please tell Ciara to send Colin down here when she is done with him."

"Colin?" Bo asked.

"_Doctor_ Colin Bronson, my assistant. If I'm not mistaken, he is the one delivering the files on the other victims to Kenzi." She replied. "I am going to need his help with this one. If I find anything else, you'll be the first to know."

Bo nodded her agreement. She stared at the cooked meat that had once been a live being and shook her head. Nobody deserved to die like that. She made up her mind in that instant to stay here as long as it took to get to the bottom of this.

"Bo?"

Lauren's utterance of her name was enough to make Bo raise her eyes and meet the other woman's gaze. The warmth those eyes held in them, the shy smile that curved the corners of Lauren's lips, and just the fact that staring at her over a corpse felt oddly _good_ and familiar, made Bo's heart leap again. She felt herself actually blush.

"I'm glad you're here." Lauren told her, her voice full of emotion. Bo heard, felt, and saw in her aura the sincerity held in those words; she smiled as they warmed her from the inside.

"I am too. I...Lauren, I..." _missed you so much_.

"...Bo, I..."

Neither woman could complete their thoughts aloud so they just shared a tiny smile. Bo wanted to reach across the exam table, to touch Lauren just to make sure she was really there.

Instead, she made herself act like a grown-up and said, "I should get back upstairs and rescue Kenzi. She's probably going crazy up there."

Disappointment flickered across Lauren's face, but she nodded once. Nothing else to do, Bo gave her one last lingering look, staring deeply into her soft brown eyes, before turning slowly - she tried not to saunter as she crossed the room, honest - and exiting.

Lauren waited until she was sure Bo was really gone before she let her shoulders slump and her head drop forward. She stripped off the gloves she wore and crossed the room to sink down into the chair behind the desk, her shaking knees grateful.

_Bo was here_.

The thought zinged through her mind and left a trail of firey emotions in its wake. First and foremost was pure joy; just seeing the succubus' face made Lauren's heart skip beats and her palms had gotten sweaty. Close on the heels of joy had come a desire as strong as anything she had ever known; even in a lab coat, Bo looked _amazing_. She had wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her, make sure that she was real. But next she had been washed in a wave of regret and self-loathing. Lauren had been hit by a reem of memories that, while buried for years, came easily to the surface and made her feel like a complete ass for a few moments until she could tuck them away again. Finally, when that was done, when she had regained her inward composure, she had dared to feel a little hope; hope that she now had the chance to right a wrong that had followed her around for three years.

Sighing, she rested her elbows on the desk and laid her chin on her closed fists. She closed her eyes and saw in her mind the smile that Bo had given her when she had said that she was still free; it was warm and genuine and so beautiful that Lauren had tried to remember the last time she had seen it.

She did remember now; it was the day Bo had come to the little apartment that Lachlan had granted to her and Nadia.

_Lauren sat on the love seat in the tiny living area, the TV droning on in the background. Nadia was lying down in their room, napping. Lauren had been staring off into space, wondering about what the future was going to bring now that the War had finally been averted. A gentle tapping at the door made her start out of her thoughts and brought a frown to her face. _Who would be calling at this time of day_? _

_She got up, stretched a little and padded in her bare feet to open the door._

_"Bo!" Lauren couldn't keep the smile from her face at the sight of the dark-haired succubus. She was dressed to kill, wearing tight leather pants, knee-high black boots with just a little bit of heel, a burgandy shirt made of some soft and slithery material, and her black and red great-coat. "What a pleasant surprise. I haven't seen much of you since..." her voice trailed off as she thought of the battle Bo had endured on behalf of all Fae. That she had survived and walked away the victor; it had been one for the Fae history books. She had come away from the fight a different person, but not so different that Lauren couldn't see that her visit wasn't one of pleasure._

_"What is it?" The doctor asked, concerned. Bo said nothing, but she held out her hand; a roll of parchment sat in her hand, tied by a black ribbon._

_"This is for you. From Lachlan." Bo said, her voice lacking any kind of inflection. _

_Lauren, anger warring with curiosity, took the parchment, untied the ribbon, and unrolled the document. It was written in the Ash's cramped, blocky script and had a red wax seal at the bottom next to Lachlan's signature. Frowning, Lauren began to read from the top. She was part way through the fist paragraph before she understood that it _wasn't _a summons._

_She looked up at Bo, astonished. Bo grinned at her then, all pretense of seriousness gone. "He...he did it. He actually...how, why?" She stared down at the paper again, reading more, then back up at Bo._

_"I convinced him that you deserved it, for everything that you've done." Bo said, and Lauren felt her knees turn to water. The succubus caught her in a hug before she could sink to the floor. Warm, strong, arms folded around her and Lauren couldn't help but return the embrace. She felt tears in her eyes before she could stop them. _

_"You _do_ deserve it, Lauren. Congratulations." Bo whispered into Lauren's hair, her voice both joyful and gentle. "Nobody will ever own you. Not ever again."_

_It took Lauren a few moments to gather herself and to pull back from Bo. She sniffled, and wiped at her eyes with her shirt sleeve. When she found her voice again, she said, "Thank you seems like such a lame thing to say, but..._Thank you_, Bo. For this and for... everything."_

_"You're welcome." Bo replied and those two simple words held more meaning than anything else that had ever passed between them. Lauren gazed at Bo, staring into her eyes and then at the rest of her, doing her very best to lock the sight in her memory. _

_"Laur? You still here, Babe?" Nadia's sleep filled voice broke their connection and Lauren stepped hurriedly back from Bo's embrace. She rolled the parchment back up and tied it closed. She opened the drawer in the table by the door and placed the decree gently inside. _

_Shutting the drawer, she turned her head and called back over her shoulder, "In here."_

_"I should go," Bo said, her face had fallen, her smile gone, "I just wanted to be the one to tell you." _

_Lauren didn't know what to say or do. She just looked at Bo and bit the inside of her lower lip. She wanted to ask her to stay for awhile, but she saw the pain flash through Bo's dark bistre eyes as Nadia emerged from their room wearing purple pyjama pants and a black shirt with a picture of a grumpy-looking white kitten on it, looking sleep-towseled, but refreshed. She came up behind Lauren and put an arm around her waist, letting out a wide yawn._

_"Bo - excuse me - hello. How are you?" Nadia asked amiably._

_Only because she knew the succubus as well as she did, did Lauren notice that the smile Bo turned on for Nadia did not reach her eyes._

_"Hi, Nadia. I'm okay, thanks for asking. I was in the neighbourhood and just thought I would stop by to see how you were settling in." Bo responded. She _sounded_ so sincere, so congenial; it hurt Lauren to know that it wasn't real. _

_"How thoughtful of you. I'm starting to feel better, I think, but I still get tired pretty easily and naps have become my best friend." Nadia turned her head and beamed at Lauren. "It's a good thing I live with a doctor. Laur takes _such_ good care of me."_

_Lauren saw Bo flinch at Nadia's words, though she doubted that her girlfriend noticed. "I bet she does...she's good at that." There was no mistaking the sadness that tinged her voice. Lauren wanted to reach out to her, to tell her that she had loved just how much Bo had always taken care of _her _when she needed it. She kept quiet, but tried to say it with her eyes. Bo looked down at the floor._

"_Kenzi loves her naps, too. She says that they are underrated and get a bad rap," she continued, trying to sound chipper again. It was enough to fool Nadia who laughed aloud, the sound like music and part of why Lauren had first fallen in love with her._

_"I can't argue with that." _

_"Well, it was nice talking to you, but I need to run," Bo said suddenly, checking her wrist as though she actually wore a watch. "I'll stop by again the next time I'm in the area." Lauren knew it was a lie and that Bo probably wouldn't be back. That hurt, a lot, but she understood why._

_"Thank you for stopping by," she said, again trying fill her expression with more emotion than she could say. "Maybe I'll see you around the Compound?" _

_Bo shrugged and put on another fake smile. "Sure, maybe. It was nice seeing you again, Nadia." And with that, she turned around and walked away. That was the last time Lauren saw her._

Lauren felt tears on her cheeks and absently wiped them with the back of her hand. That night, after she and Nadia had made love, she had lain awake, thinking. In the end, through silent tears of regret and shame, she had decided that they should leave, as fast as they could. She didn't tell anyone except the Ash, and Ciara, who was also in the process of leaving. All three of them left on Ciara's jet the very next day, heading to Zurich and a new life.

Less than six months later, she had come home from work to find the apartment empty and Nadia gone, with no word. She had known that they were having problems, but she had been working really hard on a project, trying to help a clan of Dark Fae Djinn who were suffering from a very painful skin condition that she found was leading to their infertility. It had been a very important project and it took up a lot of her time, treating patients and testing vaccines. The day she had finally had a breakthrough, Lauren had left early to surprise Nadia.

Karma really was a _bitch_.

Now…Two years after Nadia left, Lauren was still on her own. Her work was her life and she liked it that way. It was easier, less complicated; she had colleagues and a few close friends and while she lived and slept alone, she had been happy these past two years.

Or so she had thought, until a few minutes ago.

Now, all of the feelings that she had locked away came roaring back with a vengeance. Memories that she had put on a shelf after Nadia's awakening dusted themselves off and began to dance through her mind.

Bo, completely nude and so very lovely; drunken Bo, grinning and flirtatious at the Dal; Bo so very afraid that she might lose control and hurt Lauren and the look of gratitude to know that the doctor wasn't afraid; Bo in the heat of passion, lips parted as she let out a wordless cry of pleasure. _God, she was beautiful!_

How was it that one person had the ability to affect her so totally, just by being in the same room? Once and only once, Lauren had chalked it up to succubus powers; she had learned since then that it was just Bo who had somehow managed to break down the wall she had put up around her heart. She had done it without even being aware of it.

And in only a few minutes, just the sight of her and the sound of her voice - _god how she had missed it_ - left Lauren as dazed and shaken as it had the very first time.

She wondered if Bo felt _anything_ at all. And she wondered if there might be time, before the succubus went home, to sit and talk with her, to have a chance to explain herself. To apologise for being such a coward. To make things right between them. She wanted that more than anything.

Lauren sat at the desk for awhile, just letting herself remember. Sometimes the memories hurt, but the hurt was bittersweet and there were others, little treasures that she had saved that filled her with joy. She stayed that way until she heard the sound of the disinfector announcing that someone was coming. Quickly, she wiped away her tears and blew her nose, hoping that she didn't look blotchy.

Colin entered a minute later looking a little dazed.

"Sorry that took so long, Lauren...I...Well our guests are interesting people, aren't they?" He commented. "Do you know what kind of Fae they are?"

Lauren stood up, finding that her knees would once again hold her up. She smiled at Colin; he was like the little brother she had never had and just having him in the room helped to elevate her mood.

"It's not polite to gossip, you know," she chided gently. "And I'm not sure interesting is a strong enough word for Bo and Kenzi."

"You _do_ know them, then!" He exclaimed, "I mentioned your name to Kenzi and she turned white as a sheet, but refused to say anything. Ciara was acting kind of strange as well." His piercing green eyes narrowed, "Spill it, Doctor. What do you know?"

Lauren rolled her eyes and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "We...knew each other a few years ago."

"All of you?"

"Yes."

He frowned a little. "Do you think they can help?"

"Absolutely." Lauren told him, meaning it. Bo had a pretty good track record. "She already found something, take a look at this." She took gloves out of her pocket and put them on, Colin following suit. She showed him what Bo had seen and that got him excited.

"She tried to defend herself! But from what? And how?" He put his own hands up, the way Bo had. "This isn't any kind of protection from fire."

"Magic, maybe?" Lauren suggested, "A ward?"

"Okay," he drew the word out, "if that is the case, it could be a clue. Mortal fire, no matter how hot, would _never_ get through a Fae protective ward."

"Right. So we should see what kind of Fae-fire could. _After _we finish the autopsy. I'm sure everyone is waiting for what we find. I promised Bo that I would let her know as soon as we find anything." Lauren shook her head. "Come on, we better get started." She got the covered metal tray that held their tools, pulled a surgical mask out of her pocket, and positioned herself on one side of the corpse.

Colin took up his place across from her, ready to help. Lauren took up her knife.

"You can tell me all that you know about these people while we work." Colin said just before she made the first cut. Lauren couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled from her even as the blade sliced into the cooked flesh. He was such a brat sometimes.

Without preamble, she started to tell him about what her life had been like four years ago, and about the people who had changed it...

I love reviews! Keep 'em coming!


	4. Chapter 4

Pairing: Bo/Lauren, Kenzi/? (because the poor girl needs to get some)  
>Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do. ShowCase owns the main ones.<br>Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the latest episodes.

Author's Note: **Okay so here it is. Happy New Year! I've already started Part V so hopefully that will be up sooner than this one. Sorry for the wait! And we get to meet the Trio next time, I promise. They turned out to be harder to write than I first thought. Keep the reviews coming please!**

It All Starts With…

Part IV: Details, Details, Details

Bo was quiet the whole ride to the hotel. It worried Kenzi, especially after Bo's odd entrance back into Ciara's office. She had stalked in the room and stopped short upon seeing Doctor Bronson with his butt resting on the edge of Ciara's desk, chatting amiably with both Kenzi and the Fae woman.

Kenzi was having a good time, chatting with Colin, who she had learned was not Fae, but one of Ciara's own half-brothers on her father's side. He knew of his parentage only because his human mother had died when he was very young and had been taken into the Fae fold. He loved everything Fae and it was obvious that Ciara adored her little brother; Kenzi liked him, too. He was smart and funny and he had those stunning green eyes that she couldn't help but stare into.

Ciara was the first to see the succubus as she came into the office. "Bo."

Kenzi's head whipped around and she was just fast enough to see her partner's face smooth from 'mightily pissed off' to 'bored but polite'. She had seen it happen many times, especially since the Fae almost-war; usually it meant that Kenzi would be witness to a fun, if loud, rant when they were alone later. The nicer Bo was to the object of her ire, the worse the tirade would be later. Kenzi had found that it was the succubus' way of working through her feelings; by the time she was done bitching, she had figured out how to handle the situation "like a grown-up". The human never minded being a good listener because she knew that if she ever needed Bo for the same, her besty would be there.

Bo had smiled at Colin and had shaken his hand like she meant it. She had even chatted with him a little, seeming to charm him. But, Kenzi saw, when the handsome doctor turned his head to answer a question from Ciara, Bo hit the Faerie with a glare so fierce that it made _Kenzi_ flinch. Wow, if Bo's powers ran in that direction, Ciara would have been flash-fried where she sat. It only lasted a moment because Colin turned back around and the fake-smile was back in place. After a few moments of idle chit-chat – Kenzi had finally asked Ciara about the weird robo-steward on her jet and she was in the middle of being told all about what a homunculus was – Bo finally told Colin that "Lau – uhh, Doctor Lewis" had asked her to send him down because she needed help with the autopsy on the new victim.

"Ah." He said, standing. "Thank you for letting me know. Were you able to find anything out?"

"Not a lot. Lau – _Doctor Lewis_ - said that she would let me know if she found anything." Bo replied smoothly. Colin accepted this with a good-natured smile and stood up.

"It was nice meeting you, Bo. Kenzi. Glad to have you here and I hope that you will be able to help." He nodded at Ciara with a bright smile. "Tell Stefan I will be by to see him later this week." He left, walking jauntily out of the room; just before the door shut, they heard him greet Cendtra as he moved through the next room.

Bo stood up quickly and jabbed a finger at Ciara. The Faerie woman put up her hands in surrender, placing them palm-out. For some reason, this gesture made Bo frown deeply and she sat back down slowly.

Ciara stammered, "I – I – I'm sorry, Bo. I didn't think to tell you. She's been here as long as I have and I forget, sometimes, that she hasn't _always_ been here." She sat, too, looking truly repentant. "And before…Nobody ever told me what you and Lauren were to one-another and I never asked. I am truly sorry if I have caused you any pain. It was not my intention." She was laying it on kind of thick, but then Kenzi knew that Ciara had always liked Bo, had been delighted that the succubus had asked her to be friends. Plus, there was the whole "safe passage thing"; she supposed that it was possible that if Bo took any kind of offense, even emotional, she could say that Ciara had broken her word. This would lower Ciara's standing in the Fae business world, if word that she couldn't keep her promises ever leaked out. Not that Kenzi believed that Bo was capable of that kind of meanness, but… _Why was Bo frowning so hard now?_

"Uh, Bo? You okay?" Kenzi asked, her voice showing her concern.

It took the succubus longer to respond that Kenzi thought it should, but when she did, her voice was quiet. It wasn't her "I'm so angry I can't raise my voice or I'll shout" tone, it was more her "sad-broody-nostalgic-emo" voice; Kenzi narrowed her eyes at her friend, but Bo just sat there, staring hard at the window behind Ciara. "I'm fine, Kenz. I think I'm tired. Ciara, do you think we could maybe go to the hotel now?"

Ciara didn't hesitate. "Of course. We can meet with your…prospective partners… tomorrow, if you'd rather."

"Yeah, okay."

After that, it didn't take long for Ciara to round up a box to put the files Colin had dropped off in, find them a security escort, and let Pallas know he was to "bring the car around". Bo was silent the whole time. She had closed her eyes as though she really _was_ sleepy. Kenzi wanted to know what she was thinking about so hard and why her mouth kept twitching upwards, but never staying; it was like she had developed some sort of a facial muscle spasm or something.

She stayed like that the _entire_ ride to the hotel. It wasn't a long ride, despite Ciara's facility being on the edges of the city, but Bo's silence was beginning to worry her friend. _What had Lauren said to her down there_? Part of Kenzi wished that she had gone with Bo; the other part of her was still trying to decide if she was okay with Dyson not knowing about his son. She was also trying to decide whether or not to tell Bo about Stefan. It was a major development and it seemed like something that Bo would want to know about, but Kenzi wasn't sure if it was her place to tell; it seemed more like something that Ciara should tell Bo, what with them being friendly and all. She just had a feeling that the Faerie woman probably wouldn't say a word unless she was forced to. Kenzi guessed it was the protective mother instinct, even if everyone knew that Dyson would _never_ hurt a child, especially his own. But he had hurt Ciara badly, broken her heart, and three years later, she was still in pain; Kenzi had seen that much at the mere mention of the wolf-shifter's name earlier.

_What the hell?_ Kenzi couldn't help but think, _Trick couldn't have known all of this shit was going to go down or he wouldn't have sent us here, would he? Of course not_, she answered herself,_ Trick loves us, especially Bo. If he had known Lauren was here, if he knew about Stefan, if he had known that the big brave succubus was afraid of flying…he would have offered his help, but he wouldn't have sent us here without telling us _everything_._ So maybe she would just have to find the time to have a chat with her second favourite Fae, see if he had any words of wisdom for her on how to deal with everything.

Her mind made up, Kenzi glanced over at Bo again and bit her lip. The Fae was still just sitting there with her eyes closed, that weird not-quite-a-smile on her lips. It was at times like this – there weren't many, since Bo rarely failed to tell her friend what was on her mind – that Kenzi wished she were some kind of psychic or something. It made her nervous to not know all of what was going on.

They reached the motel – a grand affair with a doorman, a gigantic spacious lobby, and pillars featuring prominently in its architecture – and Pallas simply dropped them off. They got out of the car and as soon as the door closed, the car began to roll away. Kenzi was about to ask where their bags were, but she was interrupted when the doorman simply opened the front door and gestured for them to go inside. Carrying the box of files, Kenzi followed Bo, who had "woken up" enough to act like a person again. They went inside.

At the desk, the woman said something in a guttural tongue that Kenzi had decided was German. Or Klingon, since they sounded kind of the same; either way, it wasn't a language that she knew. When she and Bo looked askance at each other, the woman tried again. "Hullo. My name is Sarah," she greeted them in very thickly accented English. "How may I help you?"

Bo flashed her award-winning smile and got a similar grin from Sarah before the woman knew what she was doing. "Hi, we have a room reserved. The name on the reservation is Ciara Lozac'h."

Sarah turned to her computer and after a moment there was a happy little chirp from the machine. "Yes. I see here. Your luggage has been taken to your room." She faced the wall behind her on which hung a large grey metal rack full of slots. In each slot was a blue and gold plastic card. The woman took one from its place and slid it into a machine. She typed something on the screen of the machine and after a moment it let out a happy ding and spit the card out. She carried the card and handed it to Bo over the counter.

"What about me?" Kenzi asked when the woman wished Bo a good day, ignoring the human as though she weren't there. Kenzi decided that she must be one of those Fae that saw humans as nothing more than food. She didn't even glance up when Kenzi spoke and that pissed Kenzi off. It pissed Bo off even more, though. She had never been one to put up with any kind of rudeness the Fae offered Kenzi. She defended the younger woman more than anyone else in her life ever had and Kenzi loved that about her.

"Hey." Bo tapped her fingernail impatiently on the counter to get Sarah's attention. The woman looked up, obviously annoyed. "My partner asked you a question. Where's her room key?" The succubus' tone was hard and her gaze steely. The woman blinked hard and took a step back from the counter.

Kenzi reached out and put a hand on Bo's back. "Easy mama-bear." The anger flowing off of Bo was very nearly a physical thing – as much so as the 'come hither' aura that she naturally produced. Anyone the least susceptible to it could not resist her; same could be said about her anger now – especially since her battle with the Garuda. Something had caused her emotions to sharpen and she could use them as weapons if she chose; she didn't and thus the meditation lessons with Trick. She still wouldn't talk about everything that had happened, but Kenzi knew she would tell her eventually.

The woman sneered Kenzi's way and then looked at Bo. "I'm sorry, but _humans_ are not allowed to carry cards. You'll have to make sure it stays with you while you are here."

The wave of anger doubled and even though Kenzi couldn't see Bo's face, she knew that red had suffused the succubus' eyes; this was new since the Garuda, too. Angry Bo was truly terrifying, but Kenzi forced herself to slip an arm around Bo's waist and stand fast; sometimes her presence helped keep Bo grounded.

Behind the counter, Sarah stared and she had started to tremble. Kenzi heard footsteps and turned her head to see a security guard heading cautiously towards them. The young woman shot him a glare and gave a shake of her head; he stopped moving, but didn't look happy about it.

"I don't like your attitude," Bo growled taking half a step forward. Kenzi's arm tightened around Bo and she hauled her back by main strength.

"Whoa there Bo. It's not a big deal, really. We'll just have to share." She tried to reason with her friend. It really wasn't that big a thing and she was used to being looked at like scum on the bottom of Faes' boots. It barely bothered her anymore since the opinions of only a few mattered to her.

"No, Kenzi, it isn't okay. This little _bitch_ needs to be taught a _lesson_." Bo ground out. Wow, this was bad. Kenzi hadn't seen her this pissed in awhile and it usually took a hell of a lot more to bring her to this point.

"Bo," the human said the name as slowly and calmly as she could and stepping around to face her partner. She put herself between the succubus and her intended victim because she knew that no matter how furious Bo was, she would _never_ hurt her. "You need to calm down, _now_," She ordered trying to keep her voice from shaking. "You know you don't want to do something you'll regret later."

Bo turned her gaze from the now cowering woman and stared hard enough at Kenzi that she had to fight hard not to flinch. Her eyes were a red so dark that they looked black and her glare was worse than what she had sent Ciara earlier. Thinking of that, Kenzi decided to try something. She dropped the box and put her hands up in front of her, palms out.

As with Ciara, this gesture made Bo draw back. The power that had been gathering into her slowly disipated and her eyes bled back to their normal dark brown. Kenzi put her hands down and then stepped in to hug Bo hard.

When the hug ended - Kenzi giving her friend the 'we are going to talk about this later' look - they both faced the desk and Kenzi gave the Fae bitch her most condescending smile.

"My partner and I would really like it if you would give me a key-card." She said, her voice syrup-y sweet. She turned her head and asked, "Isn't that right, Isi-Bo?"

The woman turned pale at the sound of Bo's full title. Not many people in the Fae world - since the battle, anyway - seemed to put together that the neutral succubus named Bo and The Isi-Bo were one and the same. For a race of people so old, they were kind of naive and blind. Well some of them were at any rate.

The Fae woman promptly fell all over herself to get Kenzi a key-card. Bo didn't even say thank you, she just took the card from her with a look of distain, before taking Kenzi, box of files once again in her arms, under her arm and leading them across the lobby to a set of elevators. Kenzi threw a glance over her shoulders and saw the security guard stare after them in shock, the woman pointing at them. She kept Bo distracted until the lift doors closed.

In the elevator, Kenzi dropped the box on the floor and moved to give Bo another full hug. She knew that after a display like that, her friend would be feeling bad for losing her temper and nearly lashing out. Kenzi didn't think it was a bad thing, this time, becase at least the people wouldn't give them any more trouble. Bo had never thought like that, though; she hated when her powers took over.

Bo hugged Kenzi hard and shuddered all over. They parted, but asside from a greatful smile, Bo was silent. Yeah, they would talk later, definitely later.

Their room turned out to be a full suite. Kenzi could hardly believe it! As soon as they entered she had to prowl around and check out the whole thing.

There was a living area/dining area with a couch, a couple of reading chairs in a little nook, a table and chairs for three, and a desk with an expensive looking laptop already hooked up and waiting. There was one big window that let in a lot of light, but came with heavy blue curtains if needed.

A heavy door on the opposite side of the room made Kenzi try the knob and it opened into a bedroom furnished with two canopied beds on dark stained wood frames with plush looking crimson blankets and pillows big enough to swallow her head. There was another couch against the wall and on the opposite wall was a doorway that went into a bathroom with its own swimming pool. Okay so it wasn't a pool; it was a gigantic sunken tub set apart from an equally large shower, both tiled in brilliant blue and green. There was a double sink vanity that was plain white porceline, but the wall above it was again done in green and blue. The floor was done in something that looked and felt like blue-grey slate, with luxurious black mats in important places; fluffy green and blue towels were stacked on a metal rack above a toilet that looked tiny compared to the rest of the room. As a final touch, Kenzi noticed as she wandered back into the bedroom, there was a piece of dark German chocolate on each of the pillows of the beds. Wow, Ciara certainly knew how to treat her guests! Their bags had even been delivered and set in the small walk-in closet that Kenzi found also contained a bureau and several wooden clothes hangers.

Finally done with her exploration Kenzi returned to the bedroom area to find Bo flopping down on her back on one of the beds. As the human approached her, the succubus took out her phone and tapped the screen a couple of times. Then she gestured for Kenzi to join her and Kenzi did, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed. She absently reached for the chocolate on the pillow and got a swat from Bo just as the phone started to ring on the other end. It was picked up after two rings and a male voice said, "This is The Dal."

"Hale? Where's Trick?" Bo asked, sitting up with a frown.

There was a loud noise in the background that sounded like a roar, and then some shouting. "Uh hey, Bo. Trick's a little busy at the moment. Someone let the Ogre loose - Holy Crap!" There was a clatter as Hale dropped the receiver.

Bo exchanged a glance of amusement with her friend. This happened at least once a year - some young Fae found out about Trick's pet and decided to set it loose; Trick _always_ found the culprit and they were punished. He could always subdue the under-Fae again and put it back where it was safe from hurting others or being hurt by others. Once upon a time, Trick had been friends with the now mostly mindless beast. He said that it was now suffering the Fae eqivalant to Alzheimers; he did his best to keep it calm and to let it live in peace underneath the Dal.

After listening to the sounds of a racaus fight, the two women were finally rewarded by the sound of a familiar ringing command and then silence. There were some more noises after that, but the were quiet and more muffled than before. This was the aftermath of battling a crazed ogre. Kenzi was kind of disappointed to have missed it this year. A glance at Bo told her that the succubus was missing home, too.

Finally, there was a kind of scritching noise and another voice, the right one this time, said warmly, "Bo, hello. Sorry about that."

"I'm here, too." Kenzi piped up, not wanting to be left out.

"Hello, Kenzi. It's good to hear both of your voices." The Fae bartender replied, voice still full of warmth, if a tad out of breath. "Do I take it that you made it safely?"

"It was an...interesting...flight." Kenzi said before Bo could respond. "But we made it in one piece."

"Good, good. Do you have anything to report?" Trick's voice turned suddenly sober.

"There was another murder." This time Bo got to reply, giving Kenzi a smug look. At the othe end of the line, they could both hear him exhale hard.

"Damn it. Can you tell me anything?" Kenzi could hear the worry lacing the question. He was upset about the new death and he was also very protective of the two women.

"I saw the body," Bo informed him, "up close and personal."

"Oh?" His tone changed to one of polite interest. "Hold on." He covered the receiver,made some noise, and then came back a couple of moments later. "Sorry. What can you tell me?" Kenzi knew that he had gotten out his notebook and was making notes; she could practically hear his old-fashioned quill and ink scritching away.

"This one was burned, Trick. But not like in an uncontrolled fire. It was more like...well, the best I could come up with was that they were roasted. I mean," Bo shrugged and tried to explain what exactly she had seen and the impression the body had left on her. To encourage her friend to go on, Kenzi put a hand on Bo's shoulder and squeezed. Bo took a couple of deep breaths and continued, "I mean when I saw the body, it looked more like something had used fire to cook the victim; only the hands were actually burned. The rest was just sort of roasted like something was going to serve it for dinner. All of the...juices...were still inside."

Kenzi made a disgusted face. Thank god she had stayed behind. "That's just wrong."

"You say only the hands were actually burnt?" Trick asked, "Would you say one more than the other?"

Bo closed her eyes, concentrating, but shook her head a moment later. "No, I don't think so."

"Okay. Was the victim Fae?"

"The doctor didn't know yet, but said that her gut was telling her that it was. She had to run tests, do an autopsy, and send away a mold to match dental records. No finger prints." Bo told him. Kenzi noticed that she avoided telling Trick just who the doctor was.

"Is it related to the other killings? Gut instinct." Trick wanted to know, he sounded thoughtful and distracted.

"Not sure. My instincts say yes, but without more information, I can't be sure. The doctor says she is pretty sure that she will find a connection." Bo told him.

"Okay. Can you describe the victim? Anything could help."

"Sure. It was female, about 5'5" or 5'6", not sure on hair colour or eyes. Um..." Bo concentrated again, but let out a frustrated sigh. "She was burned? Oh!" Her voice suddenly became excited. "Oh, about her hands!"

"What about them?"

Bo set the phone on her lap and put her hands up in front of her, palms out, like Ciara had done earlier and Kenzi only a few minutes ago in the lobby. It took the excited succubus a few moments to realise that Trick couldn't actually _see_ her.

"She tried to defend herself, Trick," Kenzi translated Bo's gesture and got a smile and emphatic nod from her friend.

"Right! Lauren says this is the first victim to to show any signs of defense." Bo explained the significance to both Kenzi and Trick. It took her a second to realise that she had actually said Lauren's name instead of just calling her 'the doctor'. She grimaced as though even the thought of the doctor hurt.

Trick was quick, though. "Lauren?"

"Oh, um, yeah...She works for Ciara." Bo admitted. "She did the autopsies on the other victims, too."

"That's a small mercy," Trick responded, sounding relieved. He, too, was not a fan of the current doctor employed by the new Ash. It wasn't that Doctor Lafeyette was a bad doctor, it was just that he was Fae and he thought that he was right about _everything_. The only person he didn't argue with was the Ash herself. He got on everyone's nerves, even Trick's. Trick had always liked and trusted Lauren as both a doctor and a friend of the Fae.

"How is she?" He asked calmly.

"Wait did you _know_ that she was here?" Bo demanded. Obviously the subject was not a good one.

Trick let out a sigh and said, his voice soothing, "Of course I didn't _know_, Bo. I suspected, years ago, but she disappeared on all of us, not just you."

"I know, Trick. I'm sorry." Bo apologised. "It's just that..." she trailed off. Kenzi put a hand on Bo's leg and gave it a squeeze, trying to be comforting.

At the same time Trick said, "I understand. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, I think so. It was just a shock is all. It's been kind of a long day." Bo squeezed Kenzi's hand hard enough that the human recognised a lie when she heard it. Trick didn't notice, or pretended not to in any case.

"Good. What else did Lauren say?"

"Not much. But Ciara gave Kenzi and I a box full of files about the other murders."

Kenzi piped up, "Yeah, Colin said that they are the crime scene and police reports and the files from the first three autopsies. We were going to start going over them when we finished talking to you." Strictly speaking Bo had never said any such thing, but Kenzi knew her partner well. Her presumption earned her a tiny smile from Bo.

"Alright. You will keep me informed, won't you?" Trick asked. "And watch each others' backs. I trust in Ciara's word of honour, but outside of her holdings, it could be dangerous."

"Yes, of course we will. I'll even email you if we come up with anything Lauren or the police missed." Bo told him. Kenzi heard him grunt, as though in pain. Not too long ago, Hale had convinced the Elder Fae, the ex-king, to invest in a computer. Trick _hated_ the machine, but he liked email.

"Very well, if you must. Though you could just call." He grumbled.

"I can send you pictures in email, but not through your phone," Bo pointed out. Trick still used a rotary phone!

Trick didn't reply to that because he knew that Bo was right. "Just keep me informed and let me know if I can do anything to help."

"We will," they said in unison, grinning at each other as they did. Trick sighed again, but it was full of humour once more.

They said their good-byes and Bo hung up the phone. She lay back down on the bed and sighed. "And now I'm homesick." She grumped.

Kenzi laid down beside her and heaved her own sigh. "Me too. I can't believe we missed the ogre this year. Are you really okay?"

Bo didn't answer for a moment or two. "I don't know, Kenz," she answered finally. "Seeing her again was like a boot heel to the gut. But...it's _Lauren_. It was good, too."

"Did she give you a reason for just leaving like that?" Kenzi wanted to know; she was honestly curious. She hadn't ever been Lauren's biggest supporter, but she had wanted Bo to be happy, something she saw come out when the other human was around. If only Lauren had just been honest and said good-bye to Bo. Maybe things would have been better and this whole situation would be less awkward.

And maybe Bo would have had a lover or two in the last three years, instead of a steady stream of humans and Fae that she used only as food or to heal. Sex wasn't so much a pleasure to the succubus as it had once been; it had become almost like work.

"No, but we mostly just talked shop."

"Can you keep it together? Can you work with her again?"

"I don't know. But we can't just walk away from this, so I'm sure as hell going to try. And who knows, maybe I'll finally get some closure, you know?" Bo sat up. "Where's the box of files?"

"I put them on the desk in the other room." Kenzi replied. "Want to work out there or in here?"

They decided to order room service and to go to the other room. Kenzi chose the autopsy files - to be nice to Bo mainly, but also because looking at pictures of dead bodies was a lot different than seeing them in person; plus, pictures didn't _smell_ and wouldn't make her lose her appetite. As soon as the food arrived, they both settled in and began reading.

They worked in silence, munching on the hotel's version of pizza. It wasn't the same as home, but it would do all the same.

A few hours later, Kenzi had fallen asleep sitting up on the couch, the last autopsy file open beside her. Her head lolled sideways against her shoulder and she was letting out intermitent noises too polite to be called snoring. Bo couldn't help but to smile at her friend; even asleep, Kenzi was pretty cute.

Bo got up from her seat at the table and stretched tired muscles. The heavy curtains were still open and it was well past dark, though the lights of the city were visible, even five floors up. She looked out of the window for a few minutes, contemplating how _interesting _this case was.

It wasn't just that three - no, four now - Fae had been killed under the strange circumstances; people, even nigh immortal beings like Fae died all the time. What fascinated Bo was how there was litterally nothing except the weird venom and the bite marks that looked like a snake, but were bigger than anything outside of the fossil record. She knew of some snakey-Fae - the Naga, for just one - that could kill with venom or heal with it. The problem was that Lochlan was gone now and he had been the last of his kind. There were others, but they mostly spit their venom to blind their prey before feeding; not one of the victims had venom outside of the body, save for around the wounds. And not _one_ had actually been fed upon.

It would have made things much easier if all of the victims had been Light or Dark, but this mix of both just added more confusion to the mix. In fact, the victims had so little in common that it seemed that the murders had simply been acts of opportunity. They weren't even the same species of Fae. Add that to the physical distance between the bodies - miles apart from each other, different parts of the city - and you got a whole lot of nothing. With so little to go on, it was no wonder that the police were baffled.

Bo was almost positive that they were missing some vital clue. It taunted her, somewhere in the back of her mind, but no matter how hard she thought or how much she tried to sort through the mass of Fae that Trick had been helping her learn, it was just not coming. She wanted to see one of the crime scenes, try to get a feel for the attack that happened there, but she had a feeling this Trio wouldn't take kindly to that. Still, it might not hurt to ask.

Turning away from the window, Bo closed here eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose. It didn't help her think any better, but what the hell, right? Finally opening her eyes once more, she very quietly closed the open files on the couch, glancing over the pictures of mangled corpses as she did so. One page that was opened had no picture, just columns of text, all of it a jumble of medical terms. At the the bottom of the document was an almost calligraphic signature that made Bo's heart leap for a moment; it was Lauren's handwriting. Somehow the human woman had managed to skip the class that all other doctors seemed to have been forced to take - the one that made their handwriting all but illegible. The signature, like the woman, was elligant, graceful, and beautiful.

_God, why did she _still _have to be so _beautiful? And why, after three long years and everything that was between them, had Lauren's small and shy smile _still_ made her feel the way it had the very first time she had looked at Bo that way? _I thought I was passed feeling like that about _anyone_, including Lauren._ _Guess I'm not as over her as I thought I was_. _Maybe when this thing is put to bed, we can..._

Bo shut the file and shook her head hard. This wasn't the time for _that_ kind of thinking, not when there was a killer on the loose.

_Still_...

Bo couldn't help but wonder if Lauren being here meant something - like maybe a chance to make things right between them. Maybe even a chance to be friends again.

Bo collected the files quietly and stacked them the table. Then she went into the bedroom area and got a spare blanket and a pillow from one of the beds. She couldn't help but smile as she eased Kenzi into a more comfortable position on the couch, putting her head on the pillow and covering her friend with the blanket; she did this often at home, too, even though Kenzi had a perfectly good bed to sleep in. This, at least, felt normal.

After she saw to Kenzi, Bo cleaned up her own files and turned off the light. She got her suitcase out of the closet and found some night clothes to change into and then she crawled into the bed. It was like laying on a cloud; even the pillows were perfect!

Despite the plane ride, despite Lauren, and the weird murders and missing home and wondering just what else she knew Ciara wasn't telling her, Bo closed her eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.


	5. Chapter 5

Pairing: Bo/Lauren, Kenzi/?

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do. ShowCase owns the main ones.

Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the latest episodes.

Author's Note: ** Part V was kind of fun to write. Part VI might take some extra time since I'm pulling crazy OT at my RL job. I hope you all like this one as much as the rest. Next one to come ASAP, I promise!**

It All Starts With…

Part V: Choices and an Unusual Twosome

"Do they know why they're here?" Bo asked Ciara as the three women stood on the see-through wall of a room with one-way mirrored glass. Inside of a room, seated around a long conference table, was a group of ten men and women; according to Ciara all but three of them were Fae. The humans who worked at the Facility were all in the know - either they were the children of a Fae/human breeding, or they were simply raised by Fae parents. Bo liked that.

"Yes," Ciara answered. She raised her cup of coffee to her lips and sipped.

Bo followed suit and had to suppress a groan of ecstasy. Whoever made this coffee was some kind of magician! She hadn't tasted anything like it since Kenzi brought home a Brownie.

"They know that they are going to be food?" Kenzi asked, as blunt as ever. She was cradling a cup of coffee to her chest and inhaling deeply.

"The humans know who and what the Fae are and are more than willing to accommodate their needs. The Fae are willing to help out a fellow, especially a Succubus. They know what it entails." Ciara told Kenzi in a matter of fact voice.

Bo felt a little embarrassed. She hoped that none of these people thought they were going to get lucky. She only had full on sex if her chi battery was too low or if she needed to heal. She was really hoping that healing wouldn't be an issue here.

Not that it wasn't a possibility, Bo just didn't _want_ it to happen.

"Do you know all them?" She asked Ciara.

The Faerie woman sipped her drink again and stared in the window. "I try to make it a point to know all of my department heads and their assisstants, but this is a large facility, I can't know everyone in it. They," she inclined her chin towards the room, "are some of the department heads."

"Oh. Well what can you tell me?"

Ciara shook her head. "It would be easier if you went in and talked with them."

"Um...how would that be easier?" Bo grimaced and drank more liquid ambrosia. This whole idea of just picking out people to feed on was strange; it was probably necessary, but strange.

"Come _on_ Bo-Bo. Look at all of this eye-candy!" Kenzi leaned in closer to the window with a leer. "I'm not into chicks, but _damn_, look at that Nordic blonde babe at the end of the table! She has got some serious girly-muscles!"

"Kenzi!" Bo gave her friend a stern look, but she couldn't keep the amusement out of her voice or eyes. She also had to admit that Kenzi was right about the woman with white-blonde hair wearing a pale blue blouse with sleeves short enough to reveal some really well sculpted upper arms. Bo could also tell that she was tall for a woman and when she moved - even just to shift in her seat - the motion was as graceful as a tree moving in the wind.

Beside her was a man with skin a shade outside of bronze. He wasn't as tall as the blonde, but he did have some amazing muscle spilling out of a plain black polo shirt. He had that same way of moving as the blonde; there was something about him that made Bo think that he was older than he looked and even more solid than his actual bulk seemed.

"What about _them_?" Bo asked, indicating with her chin once more.

"Ingrid is the head of Pediatrics. She has been here since before I acquired this facility. Fritz is head of the Oncology lab. It's odd that they would both be here."

"How so?"

"Well...they are both Fae, both are Dryads, and they have been married for nearly five centuries."

"To each other?" Kenzi asked, intrigued. She looked at Bo and frowned as the last experience Bo had with a married couple went through her mind. Three Furies had died, someone had been decapitated, and a house had exploded. It might be bad if that happened here.

Bo hmmm'd thoughtfully. She drank more coffee. There was something about the two Dryads - not just their muscle and the fluidity of their movement - that she found intrigueing. "Them. Both of them. And..." she scanned the room until her eyes fell on the pretty red-headed security guard from the day before who was deep in conversation with a pretty-looking Aisan woman, "those two. I don't need to meet them. Just...I don't know...put them on stand-by? I'll need a snack later, I think."

Kenzi was a little surprised by Bo's choices. She didn't like taking women as food. Ever since Lauren's disappearance, Bo had pretty much shunned most female companionship in that regard. Kenzi had asked why and in response, Bo had told her that women were either too needy or expected too much afterward. Maybe seeing Lauren had changed her mind about that.

Ciara nodded slowly. "Very well, then."

"Thank you. So what is on the agenda for today?" Bo asked. She drained the last of her coffee and wished immediately for more.

"Please tell me you have more of this coffee," Kenzi said, as though reading her friend's mind. Ciara smiled warmly at both women.

An hour later - after a fast meeting where Bo and Kenzi gave Ciara their professional opinions on what they had read in the files - Ciara gifted them both with larger-than-average portable coffee cups full of liquid heaven and called for Pallas to bring the car to take them to their first meeting with The Trio. On their way through the lobby, Kenzi had spotted Doctor Bronson and had excused herself to "ask him some questions" that she had about what she had read in the autopsy files. Bo couldn't help but notice how her partner's aura flared as she crossed the large room to talk with the young man. What caused her to grin was that _he_ was just as interested in Kenzi.

She wandered over to sit on the edge of the stone fountain and turned to gaze down into the water at her own reflection. Looking past that, she noticed that there were coins littering the bottom of the shallow pool and just below the scene of merriment was a small dark metal plaque that said: _Make a Wish_

Bo dug around in the pocket of the dressy black jeans she was wearing until she found a quarter. Smiling and making a fervant wish, she flipped the coin into the air and watched it arch up and then drop into the water with a small splash a few feet away where it sank gracefully to join the rest.

"Did you make a wish?" A warm voice asked from behind her. Lauren.

"Yeah. Hi." Bo turned slowly, trying to brace herself before she faced the doctor.

Lauren was dressed in comfortable charcoal grey slacks and a white blouse with verticle stripes in different shades of grey and blue. Her blonde hair was down, loosely curled, and it looked a little wind-touseled. She was smiling slightly, but looking at the water and not directly down at Bo.

"So, how was your first night in Zurich?" Lauren asked, still not looking at her. Bo smiled slightly at her shyness. She couldn't help but let her eyes rove over Lauren, lingering on her and drinking in the sight of her. It had always been like that, whenever they were within ten feet of oneanother; admiring beauty in all of its forms was just in her nature. The fact that it was _Lauren_ made it all that much better.

"It was good, actually. Ciara knows how to be a good host." Bo replied. She patted the stone beside her, an open invitation for the doctor to sit next to her. Looking relieved, Lauren sat, just close enough that the warm reassurrance of her aura brushed against Bo's succubus senses, but far enough away that they weren't likely to accidentally touch.

"She's very kind," Lauren said, obviously talking about Ciara, "and she's intelligent. And she takes her roles quite seriously. I don't know how this place would run without her."

"It's certainly a nice place. Not like any hospital or lab I've ever seen." Bo agreed. "So...what do you do here? Are you a department head or," she paused to flash a smirk at Lauren, "are you just Queen of the Labs?" Bo had always loved when Lauren turned geek on her; smart chicks were just so _hot_.

Lauren actually blushed at that question and she rolled her eyes skyward. "It's a little embarrassing, actually. I...I'm not a department head and I don't technically work in any of the labs. I'm the...Head of Departments."

Bo's eyes widened in surprise and then she grinned. "Lauren, that's amazing!" She exclaimed. Her voice echoed around the big lobby and she was suddenly glad that it was still early and there were few people in that part of the building. She saw Kenzi glance over her way with a frown, but seeing her smiling, turned her attention back to Doctor Bronson with a shrug.

Lauren beamed under Bo's adulations for a moment. It felt good to have her accomplishment celebrated; Nadia hadn't been nearly so happy. "Thank you. But...it isn't what I did in the compound. I don't spend much time in the lab anymore. It's mostly meetings and paperwork."

Bo's grin turned into a little smirk and she said, "Oh my god, you're a _beaurocrat_." She laughed aloud. "Little Miss Scientist stuck behind a desk. How did you manage _that_?"

Lauren rolled her eyes again, but she smiled and laughed a little, too. "It turns out that I'm good at it and the Fae will actually listen to me here. And Ciara and I work well together."

"So why did you do all of the autopsies, then?"

"There are perks to being second in command. I keep my hand in the labs so I don't get rusty, and when something interesting comes our way, I get to choose who handles it. I chose me this time." Lauren explained. It wasn't quite as simple as that since Ciara also had a say, as did facility board members. Luckily, they _all_ agreed that Lauren should take this investigation, given her previous work for not one, but two of the previous Ashes.

"Oh. Well, even Trick is glad it's you. We don't really like Angie's doctor. He's pretty much a douche."

Lauren laughed again. "I see. Angie?"

"Oh I wish you did," it was Bo's turn to roll her eyes. "The Ash. Angelica Katherine Marie Alexander. She makes me call her Angie because I won't let her call me Isi-Bo."

Bo suddenly realised that she and Lauren had, during the short conversation, moved closer to oneanother. Their hands, both resting on the smooth cold stone of the fountain, were less than an inch away from touching.

Lauren noticed their proximity at almost the same time as the succubus and froze. She wanted to move...closer. She wanted to put her hand over Bo's and feel the warmth of her skin; she _wanted_.

It had been a _long time_ since that had happened.

Bo looked up and met the human's light brown eyes. They held her own, and Bo swallowed hard at the lump that formed in her throat. How many times in the past three years had she dreamt of those eyes, holding the same expression they did now? How many times had she wished with all her might to see them in real life just once more?

Bo cleared her throat quietly and finally said what had been on her mind since yesterday (and for three years before that), "I've missed you." She touched her fingertips to the other woman's.

Those three words bounced around inside Lauren's head for a moment, disjointed because Bo was actually _touching_ her, before coming together. When they finally made sense, she let out a little breath and tears stung her eyes. She leaned closer and replied, her voice husky, "I missed you, Bo. I..._so much_..." Her phone rang just then, breaking in on their moment.

Bo blinked and sat straighter. She blinked furiously to keep the tears back. She looked down to find that their fingers were somehow twined; when had that happened? She thought maybe she should draw away, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Lauren's hand was warm and strong, and her thumb was absently rubbing small circles on Bo's skin even as she used her other hand to pull a phone out of her hip pocket and hold it to her ear.

"Hello?" She spoke into the device, sending Bo an apologetic smile, "Yes. I'm in the lobby. Oh, alright. Of course. We'll be right there." She paused for a few moments and then let out an amused chuckle. "Tell Stefan that Colin and I will be up in a few minutes. Alright." She hung up the phone, returning it to her pocket, and turned her full attention back to the succubus. "Ciara," she said by way of explanation. "She needs to see me..." Lauren suddenly noticed their joined hands and trailed off.

"I understand," Bo said, but she still couldn't bring herself to give up Lauren's hand just yet. "Lauren...we should talk...um, later?" She gave the blonde's hand a gentle squeeze before reluctantly letting go.

Lauren looked supremely disappointed at the loss, but said, "Yes. I...I need to tell you -"

"- Hey Bo!" Kenzi interrupted by yelling across the room. Her voice echoed more than Bo's had and she looked around, impressed for a moment. Then she pointed to the door where Pallas was standing, looking as dapper as the day before, frown on his cave-man like features.

"I guess my ride is here." It was Bo's turn to sound apologetic. She smiled a little shyly and said, "I'm glad I got to see you again. Have a good day."

"Yeah. Bo, I...be careful?" Lauren felt supremely awkward and wasn't sure what to say.

"I'm just meeting with the cops. Why do people keep telling me to be careful?"

"You're meeting The Trio?" Lauren raised an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah. I want to see if they will let us look at the latest crime scene."

"Oh. Well...Can I give you some advice?" Lauren asked.

"Please. Nobody else seems to know what to say." Bo nodded greatfully. That was true; Ciara hadn't said anything, she just sort of smirked when Bo had asked her earlier. And okay, so she hadn't asked anyone else, but Lauren didn't need to know that.

"I've worked more closely with them on this than anyone. Just...be yourself. They aren't as fun as Hale, but they do have a sense of humour." Lauren told her. "And they have a soft spot for humans, but they can be kind of condescending. Tell Kenzi to roll with it."

Bo grinned. "Okay, thanks." Then she sobered, her grin dimming down considerably, but not disappearing. "I meant it, what I said about talking earlier. When this is all over..?"

Matching the succubus' expession, the human replied softly, "Count on it."

With that said, they both stood and parted ways. When Lauren reached the elevators, she pushed the button and waited, turning her head to gaze towards the main entry. She saw Colin hurrying her way and Bo and Kenzi reaching the exit. At the doors, Bo paused and looked over her shoulder. Their eyes met. She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows mockingly. Lauren grinned and blushed, but she couldn't help chuckling a little. God, she had almost forgotten how adorable Bo could be.

Colin caught up to her a moment before the lift _ding_ed and the door opened. They stepped inside and Lauren pushed the buttons in a sequence that programmed it to take them directly to Ciara's office.

As soon as the doors closed, Colin turned his head and regarded her with a speculative expression. He didn't say anything, he just looked at her. Lauren felt herself blushing more deeply.

"What?" She finally demanded. "Out wth it Bronson!"

"It's just that...I guess you _aren't _immune to the succubi's charms after all." He replied, a grin finally splitting his face.

Lauren rolled her eyes at him, but said, "Like all things Fae, it's more complicated than Bo's 'charms'. We...well, we sort of had something, before Nadia woke up." Colin knew all about Nadia and her curse. "Besides, you're one to talk, boy-o. You and Kenzi looked pretty intense."

It was Colin's turn to flush. He _hated _being called 'boy-o'; he put up with it from Lauren as his boss and friend and from Ciara as his boss and much older sister. "She _is_ rather fascinating," he mumbled. He looked at Lauren with an accusing expression suddenly and said, "You didn't tell me that she _isn't_ Fae."

Lauren shrugged. "I thought it might be better if you figured it out yourself. Be careful, Colin, Kenzi is much tougher than she looks. She protects Bo as much as Bo protects _her_." She said the last part in a serious voice. Lauren didn't think Bo would hurt the young man for any reason, but _Kenzi_ had once threatened to bash Lauren's skull in if she hurt Bo. And even though she hadn't shown it then, Lauren took the threat seriously. To be honest, Kenzi had always scared her just a little.

Colin, however, didn't seem phased. "She's brilliant, Lauren," he gushed, "she had some really good questions about the autopsy files. She seems sure that the only reason the first three people didn't fight back is because they were ambushed."

Lauren raised both eye-brows at him. "Really? She said that? Well," she frowned in thought for a moment, "it makes sense. But how in the world does something with hooves ambush someone in the middle of the night, on a cement and gravel lot?" She challenged him.

The third victim had been found in the middle of a construction site on the newly poured foundation of a building. It had been an out of the way place, with few lights and even less traffic. The victim was a Tomte, paid to perform a ritual blessing for the soon-to-be home. The part of the lot not covered by cement was done in gravel. How could _anything_ make no noise as it approached? Then again, Lauren had to admit, maybe the Tomte had been so focused on the ritual that she hadn't heard the creature approach. They would never know.

"It's certainly plausible, though, isn't it?" He challenged her with a grin.

Lauren gave in easily because it was a better guess than _they_ had. In fact, even The Trio hadn't gone out on a limb to hazzard a guess. There was just too much uncertainty with this whole thing. Lauren worried for a second about what Bo was actually getting herself into, but then forced the worry back because, obviously, the succubus could take care of herself.

She and Colin stepped out of the elevator on the opposite side of the desk where Cendtra usually sat. It was early still, though, so the large desk was empty. At the door to Ciara's office, Lauren took her security badge from her pocket and put it around her neck before scanning it.

"Oh yes," she pushed the door open, "Stefan is here and he's upset that you didn't come visit last night as promised..." Lauren gave him a little push into the room and grinned at the high-pitched squeal that greeted her assisstant. Well, this day just kept getting better and better.

"So," Kenzi began as soon as Pallas shut the car door, "you and Lauren? That was fast, even for you, Bo-Bo."

Bo rolled her eyes and gave Kenzi a little punch on the arm. "We were just talking, Kenz."

"You looked pretty _snuggly_ to me," the human gave Bo her best, 'why don't I believe you' look.

The succubus rolled her eyes again and sighed. "I could say the same for you and _Doctor Bronson_," she retorted, her own smirk just a little smug.

"Pu-lease! He's..." Kenzi trailed off and her face softened for a few moments. Bo knew that look. Not only had she seen it before, but she knew what it meant; seeing it made her feel both happy for her friend and just a little over-protective.

"Well he seems like a nice guy," she began, "and he's Lauren's assisstant, so..."

That shook Kenzi from her thoughts and she shook her head. "So what?" She sounded a bit defensive.

Bo smiled and shook her head. "Just...well, you know, the usual...be careful, be safe, etcetera...Oh and if you get the chance," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, "_have fun_!"

Kenzi laughed. "Oh why thank you, succuface. I would say the same, but, well, it's _Lauren_ and you _never_ thought all that clearly where she was concerned."

"Did so!" Bo replied, indignant. "I let her go, didn't I? After I risked my _life_ to get Nadia out of her cursed coma? I didn't...fight for her." The last phrase was said a little bitterly.

Bo had always regretted that she hadn't at least _tried_ to get Lauren away from Nadia. Part of her had hoped that Lauren would figure out that it had been _her_ not Lachlan who had been the one to free Nadia; if she was so damn smart, why couldn't she have seen through his ruse? Maybe if the doctor had cottoned on to the truth, things could have been different. Maybe...

"You let her go _physically_, my dear." Kenzi retorted her voice gentle. "But I don't have to be a sex-powered super Fae to see that whatever was there before she left is _still_ there. Be careful, Bo. Don't let her hurt you again." The young woman reached out and patted Bo's hand. Sometimes it was hard to believe Kenzi was younger than Bo and that she was only human.

"I know. I -"

"- And besides, if you need some TLC, you're in a place surrounded by doctors...and at least four of them are ready, willing, and able to, you know, _help_." Kenzi interrupted her with an affable leer. "And they _all_ looked _yummy_."

Bo laughed; she couldn't disagree with that, no matter how odd it was to actually stand at that window and pick people like sides of beef.

"Do you think Angie has to do that when someone important comes to town?" Kenzi wondered.

"Makes me happy I'm not in politics, it's too much work," Bo quipped.

"And sleuthing isn't work? Come on, we are practically super heroes!"

The succubus laughed. They'd had this conversation before. "_I'm_ the hero, you're my side-kick."

Kenzi took the opportunity to give her a fake karate chop to the arm. Bo blocked her easily and then followed it up with a jab to the ticklish part of her friend's ribs. Kenzi yelped in protest and what followed was just turning into real fun when when a low, gruff voice came over the intercom.

_"We are here. Please go."_ His accent was thick and it came out sounding like it hurt for Pallas to speak at all. Well, Ciara can't have perfect taste in everything. Bo and Kenzi exchanged an annoyed glance before straightening their hair and clothes.

"Oh," Bo began as Kenzi found the door handle, "I almost forgot! Lauren wanted me to give you some advice for these cops."

"And what did Little Miss Hotpants want to tell me?" Kenzi used her old nickname for Lauren to keep the mood light; Bo had always thought it was the most apt thing Kenzi had ever called Lauren, and the most flattering.

"She said that they like humans, but can be condescending, so don't get too upset if they do."

"_Please_, Bo. I've been around you Fae for years now. I think I know how to handle myself." The human replied, a little miffed.

"I know that, Kenz. But _they_ don't. Just...Lauren knows you can handle yourself, so she wouldn't have said it if it wasn't worth saying. " Bo replied evenly. Kenzi frowned at her but conceded her point with a nod. As much as she had never really liked Lauren, Kenzi had to admit that the woman was smart _and_ she knew almost as much as Trick when it came to dealing with Fae.

They slid out of the car and into the warm sunshine and a stiff breeze. Almost as soon as the door had closed, the car pulled away from the curb, leaving the two women alone in front of a short stone building with double wooden doors.

Bo squared her shoulders and beside her, Kenzi ran a hand over her clothes, flattening any wrinkles. They turned together and Bo reached out to touch the big wrought-iron door handle when the same door opened to reveal two people.

One was a man of average height with curling sandy brown hair and blue-grey eyes that looked used to smiling. He had high, stark cheek bones and full sensual lips. He was dressed in a plain button up shirt that brought of deep blue and a pair of tight black jeans. He practically exuded sex from his pores and Bo didn't have to be told that he was obviously an incubus.

Kenzi felt it giving an involuntary shudder before biting her lip and fighting against it. Trick had been teaching her some techniques to use to protect herself from certain Fae. She had also spent years in close quarters with a succubus, effectively deflecting her powers of seduction. It wasn't easy, but Kenzi built up her defenses and pushed the power away until the man was just a really attractive man.

The woman at his side had deep auburn hair, straight and pulled into a tight braid that fell nearly to the small of her back. Her skin was milk-white and her eyes were reddish-brown. Her lips, soft-looking cupid's bow shaped, turned down in a frown when she saw the two woman blocking the doorway.

They were obviously cops; something about their stance gave them away. They were also an item, their auras flowed and shifted and mingled even though they were simply standing there. That only happened, Bo had learned, when two people were deeply in love or had been together for much longer than she had been alive.

These two were both.

"Hello," the man greeted them with smile, "can we help you?" His voice was a medium baratone, smooth as silk and it put Bo immediately on edge, though Kenzi seemed to relax. Definitely an Incubus. He spoke without an accent, but his words had an odd flavour to them.

"Hi, I'm Bo. This is Kenzi. I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess that you are Inspectors O'Connell and Vard?"

The pair exchanged a surprised glance and the woman spoke this time, her accent reminding Bo of listening to Kenzi when she affected an accent of her own.

"You are Bo?" She checked a watch on her wrist, "You are early. This is good."

Kenzi perked up at her words and said something to her in Russian that made her smile and reach out to ruffle the human's hair. This earned an eye-roll from Kenzi, but she didn't say anything.

"Ah, yes, Ciara's 'Private Investigator' from America." O'Connell responded giving Bo a toothy grin. "We are pleased that you could come so far to..._help_...us."

"I know I'm not a cop," Bo began. She had been thinking about what to say since she'd left the facility. "I know that I don't know anything about you or this city. But we are good at what we do and we have worked with the police back home for years. We aren't here to step on any toes, I promise. We just want to help find a killer."

The pair exchanged another look and then they both smiled. "Velcome to Zurich. Please, follow us." Inspector Vard said.


	6. Chapter 6

Pairing: Bo/Lauren, Kenzi/OC

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do. ShowCase owns the main ones.

Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the latest episodes.

Author's Note: ** Part VI turned out longer than I thought…Oh well. So, so, so, so, sorry this has taken so long to get out. RL has been crazy busy and my car has very nearly given up the ghost. I hope that you like the fact that you get two posts for the price of one. Enjoy!**

It All Starts With…

Part VI a: Investigations

They all went back into the building after that and the two Inspectors led the PIs through a room stuffed with too many desks and what seemed like even more people. Most police precincts back home looked like this due to man-power shortages among other things; Bo was surprised to see it here, though. For some reason, she had pictured it as more organised and clean. Too many foreign films, probably.

One thing that made this place different was that, as Ciara had informed them this morning, this was the only known police force populated entirely by Fae. This was also the first place where Light and Dark worked together more or less in peace, since Bo had defeated the Garuda and she and Trick had laid down new Laws (incidently, Ciara's facility was the second of such places, and she claimed that it wasn't as difficult as she had thought it would be). Bo was kind of eager to see how it all worked until she stepped inside the building and saw that it wasn't so different from the Bull Pen at home.

Past the main area was a door with a frosted glass window that led into a long hallway. More doors with frosted windows lined the wall on either side, but they didn't go into any of them. Instead, Bo and Kenzi were taken to a very small office at the back of the building.

It was shaped like a box and the walls were nothing but bare grey brick; they didn't even have a calendar up on the wall. There were two tiny desks that sat facing each other and held a laptop apiece. On either side of the door was a bank of wooden file cabinets. Two extra chairs - the folding black metal kind - squeezed into the room, though they were obviously not a part of the office.

Once they had all squeezed in, O'Connell gestured for Bo to shut the door and she did so, the room feeling more than a little claustraphobic.

"Ve are wery sorry for," Vard gestured to the cramped space.

"Indeed. They are short on space here, as you saw," O'Connell continued, "but our superiour deemed us worthy of what is jokingly being called an office. It suits us, however, until we have guests."

"Thank you for..._tolerating_...us." Bo replied, trying to be diplomatic with her words.

"Quite honestly, we aren't convinced that you will be able to help." He responded bluntly. "Oh," he waved a hand at Kenzi as she opened her mouth to protest, "we are aware of just who you are and your track record. However, despite all of that, you are very young and inexperienced. We have been doing this since before the reign of Queen Victoria. There is little we have not seen."

Bo took that in. It wasn't the first time that her age had been used against her when it came to the Fae. It didn't seem to matter that she had done what no other Fae could have - defeating Garuda - she was still a child as far as age went.

Even Trick, Dyson, and Hale gave her those _looks_ sometimes that made her feel like she was five and had just stepped in something aweful with a new pair of shoes. Still, she - and Kenzi of course - had more than proven their worth to those who thought them too inexperienced. They would just have to prove it to these two.

"You could gif them a chance, you know." Said a new voice. It was feminine, the pitch a little higher than Vard's, with the same accent, though not nearly so thick. "I do not see vwhy you do not let them _try_."

There were suddenly five people in the room where only four had been. The newcomer had the same dark auburn hair as Vard, the pale skin, the fine features; but her eyes were lighter and she looked like she did a lot more laughing than her counter part.

Bo did her best not to seem surprised at the sudden appearance of another person. She hadn't even seen where she had come from. She smiled widely at both Bo and Kenzi.

"Hallo. I am Kara." She held out her hand and Bo took it, shaking it. Kenzi did the same, her face a friendly if wary mask. "Please excuse my partners, they can be vwery blunt. Ufv course vwe vwelcome your help."

"Ah, and she appears," O'Connell commented, smiling broadly at the newcomer who brandished a bright smile in return. The other Vard shook her head, but didn't say anything. "She is ever the optimist." He switched his gaze from the redhead - who had settled herself on the desk closest to Bo - back to Bo and Kenzi, smile fading. "I don't mean to be unkind, but what could you see that we _three_ have missed?"

"Well," Kenzi began only to stop when three sets of eyes settled on her and three faces held looks of mild reproach. Used to being looked at like that among the Fae who did not know her, Kenzi looked each of them in the eyes before she continued, "I was looking over the autopsy reports from the first three victims. Lauren was really thorough; each of them were killed within moments of the initial attack and the rest of the damage was done after, or during death. How did that happen? Bo says that you didn't even put a theory in your reports. Why not?"

"We didn't want to seem presumptuous, given the startling lack of evidence at the scenes." O'Connell responded.

"Lack of evidence? Well, okay so there wasn't _much_ to go on, but where we come from that's called a _clue_," Kenzi retorted. All three of the Fae tilted their heads to the side slightly, looking almost comical as they did.

"Please, elborate."

Kenzi glanced at Bo who smiled encouragingly. They had discussed theories this morning over breakfast and the one the human had come up with was actually pretty good. "Well, I think that whatever this thing is, it must be able to change form. How else could it have sneaked up on the first three victims so thoroughly that they didn't try to defend themselves at all? What has the power to do that?"

The three inspectors all exchanged a glance. "Of course we considered that." O'Connell said. He put out a hand, palm up. "We did try to look into things, quietly, discreetly. The Rowan put the whole of her library to our disposal and we found _nothing_. It is not our way to include something in a report if there is nothing to substantiate it."

"Okay, so you didn't find anything in the books. That isn't a huge surprise. Books do not hold all of the answers." Bo replied, backing up her friend. She felt a little guilty about that last comment, mostly because she was steadily reading her way through Trick's library at home and finding it very, very interesting. Books didn't solve everything, but they could help. "What kind of follow up have you done? Who have you talked to?"

They all exchanged another look, and then Kara grinned and slid off her perch on the desk. "I like them," she announced, "I vwill leesten to them."

The other Vard glared at her. "That is not your deceesion to make."

"Ladies, please, this will get us nowhere. Bo, please don't take this the wrong way. We know you mean well and we are grateful that the mighty Isi-Bo finds this worth her time," O'Connell began, his voice very condescending and that started to piss Bo off. "We are not opposed to your aid in our investigation, however, if you have nothing of value to add at this time, please go. Ms. Lozac'h will contact us when you do. P –"

"- Shut the hell up." Bo demanded and she stood up so fast it knocked her chair back against the wall. The three Fae stared at her in shock. Kenzi made a face and slowly backed into the corner farthest from her friend. "Who do you think you are? I have met some obnoxious, stuck-up Fae in my time, but you two," she gestured to Vard Prime and O'Connell, "take the cake. You are willing to turn down our help, simply because you think that, after just a few minutes with us that we can contribute nothing? Fine." Bo reached out, grabbed Kenzi by the shoulder, and hauled the younger woman out the door, slamming it behind them.

They both stood out in the hallway, looking around. Bo grinned at her friend. "That went well."

Kenzi rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Do you think they were kind of playing good-cop, bad-cop? And why did that Kara chick say she likes us, but the other one told me that I was 'lucky to be kept by such a one as Isi-Bo'. Gah! You need a new name."

They started walking down the hall. "We knew it wasn't going to be easy to win them over, Kenz. It's why I got the addresses of the murder sites from Ciara before we left. I kind of figured that they wouldn't take us." Bo told her friend. They passed through the doors and into the over-full bull pen again. A few of the officers looked at them questioningly, but they both just smiled and kept walking.

Outside the wind had picked up, but they didn't have to wait long before the native guide Ciara had found for them showed up, driven by Pallas in Ciara's limo. He was short, completely bald, and had a strong grip when he shook Bo's hand and then Kenzi's.

"Hello, yes, hello." He smiled and it seemed to transform his rather homely face into something far more appealing. "I am Samuel and Ms. Lozac'h has informed me that I am to be your guide for as long as you like."

"I'm Bo and this is Kenzi." Bo replied and she couldn't help but to like the man on instinct. He had a German accent, but it was faint and he sounded more "European" than anything else.

"Yes, a pleasure," he bubbled. He gestured to the waiting car. "Shall we go? I was given the list of places that you would like to see, though I am not sure a few of them will be available for site-seeing."

"I know. I would appreciate anything that you can do for us." Bo told him. He smiled again, broad and genuine and held out his arms to both of them. Even Kenzi couldn't resist and she allowed him to help her into the car.

The first place they went was the scene of the fourth murder. It was still roped off with yellow and black crime tape, but there were no cops around. It was only a few miles from the Facility, in a place that reminded Bo and Kenzi of home. Two cement walls on opposite sides of abandoned railroad tracks, covered in random graffiti. One wall, though, had been marred by an ugly imprint. It reminded Kenzi of those pictures she'd seen on TV of people killed when fires burned too hot too suddenly. The police hadn't even needed to really chalk out the silhouette of the victim.

"It is sad, really, all these killings so soon after the Garuda." Samuel said suddenly. He had lapsed into silence and as they approached the site. "I thought for sure the peace could be maintained for at least a century."

Bo wanted to groan out loud. It wasn't like she hadn't been having the same thoughts since Trick had told her she was needed here. She, too, had been hoping that they would eventually find a way to a true peace, one that Trick did not have to write in his blood to come to pass. However, with the murders being very well known in the Fae world, it wouldn't be long before the fragile peace would break under the strain. That was part of the reason she was here, to find the killer and make _someone_ pay. It was also important – since she was pretty much a Fae legend now – that Bo be the one to carry out the sentence. Though she didn't like it, Bo was well aware that she was part of Fae history and that was important to maintain.

"Do you know what could make fire like that?" She asked Samuel gently. "I've never seen anything like it."

He shook his head sadly. "I am old, I have been here since before the time humans claimed the land as their own. Very few Fae could have killed like this; even fewer would kill our own for sport or out of malice. What remains is a short list of beings that have been gone for centuries; made extinct, like the Garuda."

Bo wanted to tell him that she had not meant to kill the Garuda when she was fighting him, that she had tried her hardest to get the being to see that war between the Fae was not an option, because if the Fae killed each other, killed the humans, too, the Garuda would be left to _actually_ starve, rather than _diet_ like they had done when Trick made the Laws; he would not see reason and she had been forced to kill him. She regretted that necessity every day.

Instead, she took a deep breath and asked, "So what you're saying is that the only creatures that could do something like this, like burning someone to death, are extinct? No other Fae could have done it?"

Kenzi chimed in with, "Like what kind would you say?"

Samuel looked at the blackened outline sadly and then abruptly turned away. "Nothing short of Dragon Fyre _could_ have killed like this. And the Dragons have been gone for many centuries. They did not, however, use their Fyre on other Fae, merely on humans and the livestock that they preyed upon."

"_You knew _dragons_!" _Kenzi exclaimed, looking awed.

"Yes, indeed, my dear." Samuel smiled at her and gave her hand a grand-fatherly pat where she had put it on his arm in her excitement. "I have known some of the most magical and wonderful beings – most of them _you_ have only read about in stories."

"You don't look that old," Kenzi told him and she wasn't just being ingratiating.

That brought a huge smile to the man's face. "Oh child, you are a sweet one, aren't you? So good for the ego!"

Bo eyed him suspiciously for a moment before saying, "You're not on the Council of Elders, are you?" She didn't like the idea of working with someone like that, because, as she had discovered in her time among the Fae, Elder Fae were notoriously tricky and sticky. They liked to play with their prey – mind games, games of emotion, physical jiggery-pokery – and Bo was so not going to give one the chance to get their hooks into either her or Kenzi.

"Oh heavens, no! Politics are…not my style. I am an historian, not a politician. Politics are full of people with good intentions who are supposed to _listen_ to people like me to avoid making the mistakes of the past. It rarely works that way." Samuel responded with a slow shake of his head. "I prefer my hard facts, things that have already happened, to the mystery that is the future."

His answer soothed Bo's hackles and she stepped more forward beside him, gazing as he and Kenzi were doing, at the blackened outline on the concrete. It was gruesome and Bo couldn't help thinking about the body that Lauren had been examining. She had to wonder what the woman had been doing out here, in this area, presumably alone.

Without thinking about it, Bo was putting her hands up in front of her chest, in imitation of the corpse. There was something about the gesture that had been gnawing at her. Samuel watched her, eyebrow quirked, for a few moments before he asked, "Something on your mind, my dear?"

"What? Oh, yeah. The person who died here, they were the only one of the victims to try to fight back. She died with her hands like this." Bo made the gesture again.

"A ward," Samuel said, frowning and making the gesture. He frowned even more and looked at the spot on the wall. "Yes, whoever your victim was, they were young. Any Fae of over one hundred would have known that a ward, no matter how strong, would not hold up against Fyre."

Bo gave the man a long look. "Has anyone besides Ciara asked you to help on this case?"

"What case? I am merely a guide, doing a favour for a good friend, and showing two lovely and pleasant women around the area. And the answer to your question is yes." Samuel winked at Bo and then at Kenzi, "I was consulted, by the illustrious Trio, and my answers were found wanting. They did not, however, bring me to the scene of the crime and ask my _opinion_."

Bo smiled at him. Then her smile broadened as she realised that this was exactly what Ciara had in mind when she 'hired' Samuel for the day. Kenzi had the same thought a few minutes later and she let out a small wicked laugh. They had both underestimated the Faery woman. Samuel winked again as soon as he saw the realisation in their faces.

Turning abruptly, Bo started to walk back towards where they had left Pallas in the car. Samuel and Kenzi hurried to catch up.

"Where are we going, Bo-Boss?" Kenzi asked as they all got back inside the vehicle.

"If Samuel doesn't mind, I'd like go to the other sites and get his take on what _could_ have hurt those people." Bo replied, looking at Samuel for his approval. He nodded slowly, but was frowning.

"But why?" Samuel asked. "I have not yet told you anything of value."

"Not true, dude!" Kenzi piped up, "I, for one, would love to hear more about Dragons. How many did you know? Are they as big and scary as the stories all say?"

Samuel could not help but to beam at Kenzi, "I could bore you for hours with stories of the things that I have seen and the beings with whom I have conversed. I do not, however, think that they will help you in your investigation."

"I think you _can_ help us," Bo told him, "I know you said that Dragons are gone, but were there any other kinds of Fae that breath that fire-stuff? And I would like your ideas on what could have caused the deaths of the other victims. Tell me _every_ Fae that could do it, even if you don't think it's possible."

"Bo, usually I can follow your train of thought, but I'm going to admit that I'm baffled," Kenzi made a face.

"Look, I know that there are…_beings_…out there that are thought of as being extinct. I killed one. Maybe it's possible that there is still _something_ out there, something really old. Or," she gave Samuel an apologetic look for the old thing, "someone is trying to science up their own Fae powers. It wouldn't be the first time in human history for people to play around with something they don't understand."

Kenzi shuddered, remembering the Basilisk-foot soup and her near death by haemorrhagic fever. As far as she knew, the Light still had no idea how that pharmaceutical company had gotten that poor creature in the first place. The first Ash that Bo had known had been upset that Lauren had had to kill the Basilisk, but he knew that it was better than leaving it at the mercy of the humans until another Fae could infiltrate and get it back.

Samuel stared at her for a few minutes, sizing her up and coming to a decision. He smiled and laughed. "It is no wonder you defeated that Garuda, child, you are far wiser than one would expect for someone so young. I will gladly give you my knowledge to help with the investigation of these terrible acts."

Once it was agreed, they spent the next three hours going to each of the sites for the other three victims. At each one, Samuel would study the scene, would listen to Kenzi describe the wounds, and then he would give them a list of the kinds of Fae that could do what had been done. The lists weren't long lists and Samuel made sure to tell Bo that he was reaching on some of them. He was at a loss, though, to explain the snake bites.

"Oh there are so many snake Fae, the list could go on and on, but most of them will spit venom at their victims to blind or paralyze them before they are crushed and consumed. Those that bite do not usually bite more than once, and the victim would, again, be crushed before being eaten. Snake Fae normally only kill for food – though that does not preclude playing with prey beforehand."

"Sometimes animals will change their hunting patterns if their environment changes," Bo said.

"Are you comparing Fae to animals?" Samuel asked, sounding insulted.

"Not all Fae, of course," Bo said quickly, "but…some, yes."

Samuel smiled, once again transforming his homely face and said, "Well put. Yes, some of us are less than friendly and we have been around nearly as long as some of the animals that we emulate. Indeed, only a true _beast_ of a Fae would kill its own kind in such a manner."

"Because Fae never kill each other?" Kenzi scoffed; her own forays into the Fae-world had taught her much differently.

"No, of course not," Samuel replied with another smile. "We Fae kill each other all of the time for many reasons – many _stupid_ reasons, in my humble opinion. The Dark hate the Light and other Dark. The Light hate the Dark and other Light. We are not so different from humans in that regard, it is true. However, it is also true that when we kill each other, we generally try not to leave something for authorities to find."

This was true for the most part. But it wasn't that simple, it never was.

"What about a crazy-Fae?" Kenzi queried, "I mean we've dealt with the crazy before, could this just be something like that?"

"It could, yes. If that were the case, however, there would, I think, be more than four kills."

"Or this could be a slow build-up," Bo pointed out, "just the opening act of a very sick person."

"Do you think it could be another Fae like Raynard?" Kenzi asked with a small shudder. As much fun as she had had being in Dyson's body, the whole Raynard deal had been deeply creepy.

"You have met Raynard?" Samuel's eyes widened at both of them. "I have only read about him. Was he as unbalanced as they say?"

"Definitely," Kenzi confirmed nodding vigorously, "he was totally wacko! He used Lauren to try to kill the Ash, nearly started a war, and he _smelled _funny."

Samuel was looking at both of them with something akin to awe. "For two women so young, you have led extraordinary lives."

"Extraordinary? I don't know that I'd go that far," Bo disagreed amiably.

"Pardon my saying, my dear, but you are _very_ young for a Fae, who was raised outside of our society. Yet in the short time since you have joined us, you have become an emissary for both the Light and the Dark, you have managed to defeat one of the Fae's greatest enemies, and you have met with and had dealings with some of the most memorable people in Fae history. You are also under the protection of the Blood King." Samuel raised a busy eye-brow at her, "I have been alive since the first Fae War and even I have not had the pleasure of being in _his_ presence."

"How do you know that? The Blood King thing, I mean?" Kenzi asked. Bo was surprised, too. Most Fae believed that the Blood King was nothing more than a name in history. Very few actually knew who Trick was and it was best that way.

"Why she bears his mark," Samuel pointed at the intricately carved gold ear-cuff that Bo habitually wore. In fact, she rarely took it off, given that it had been a gift from Trick, something that had once been his wife's. He had made some comment about how it was flattering and how he would explain why he gave it to her when it was 'time'. _His_ _mark_. Well, wasn't that just interesting.

"You seem to know a lot about me," Bo remarked, looking sideways at him.

"It is my job to know." Samuel replied sagely.

They talked a little more after that, but mostly it was Kenzi asking Samuel questions about Dragons. Bo put her little notebook – the one she always carried in her pocket these days – away, making a mental note to give the list to Lauren or someone to do research on. She also wanted to call Trick and get his opinion on everything.

They said good-bye to Samuel outside of a tiny home on the outskirts of the city. He gave them each a hearty European hug and said that if they needed any more of his help, they could have Ciara call him and he would be happy to do whatever he could. Bo promised that she would and then she and Kenzi got back in the car and they headed back to the Facility.

They didn't speak on the way there; they didn't have to. One of the things about a long term partnership like theirs was that there were times when they both knew that the other needed quiet time to think. Kenzi did lean her head on Bo's shoulder – something she did when she was feeling the need to be close to Bo without seeming like it.

Something about this case was bothering Bo, but she was having a very hard time putting a finger on it. Her instincts were warning her that it was just the Fae who were involved, but humans as well; she just didn't know _why_ she felt that way. She took the little notebook with her list of possible Fae killers and read over it. Maybe Samuel was right and this would lead nowhere, but Bo wanted to give the list to Trick _and_ to Ciara to look over. She even toyed with giving it to Lauren since back in the day, Lauren had been one hell of a researcher and she knew more about different kinds of Fae than most Fae did.

By the time Pallas stopped the car in front of the Facility, it was nearly time for lunch. Bo and Kenzi got out of the car and watched it roll slowly away before going inside. The place seemed deserted, but Bo knew that it was common practice for some places to shut down for an hour or so while the employees had lunch. She knew that this place had a cafeteria somewhere and thought about going to find it. However, as they crossed the gigantic lobby, there came the _ding_ of the elevators and one of the set nearest the receptionist desk opened, revealing Lauren and Colin, heads bowed in deep conversation.

If Bo hadn't cleared her throat, both humans would have walked by, completely oblivious to both her and Kenzi. As it was, of the two of them, only Lauren seemed to react to the sound, head whipping up and around until she found Bo. She smiled immediately and veered off course causing Colin to stumble in order to keep up with her.

"Bo! KenZi! Hi. Back so soon? How did your meeting with the Trio go?" Lauren asked as she approached.

"Not so good, really," Kenzi replied with a roll of her eyes. "They were less than helpful and they already decided that we wouldn't be of much help. Well, two of them did."

Bo added, "Kara seemed to like us."

Lauren frowned, but she nodded. "They don't like outsiders. Ciara and I were afraid something like this would happen, but we knew you had to try."

"Did you find out anything useful?" Colin wanted to know. He and Kenzi were smiling shyly at one another, "Did you tell them your theory, Kenzi?"

"They didn't want to listen." Kenzi told him.

"Too bad. _I_ thought it was a really great idea."

Bo and Lauren exchanged a look. "Hey Colin, why don't you take Kenzi down to the canteen and get some lunch? I will be down in a little while, I want to talk to Bo about something." Lauren suggested.

Colin frowned and looked at Lauren. "You need to eat today, Lauren." He chided.

She rolled her eyes. "I _will_, Mom. I just wanted to tell Bo what the test results came back with on the burn victim. I know that Kenzi is probably hungry and _you_ could fill _her_ in on the way." She put a hand on his shoulder and drew him aside. "Look, I just want some time alone with Bo, okay? Kenzi isn't my biggest fan. Please, take her to the canteen, and Bo and I will come down in a little while. Please, Colin?" She whispered, pleading with him.

"Do you promise you will eat today?" He asked.

"I swear. Just take Kenzi, be your charming self, and Bo and I will catch up." She assured him.

"Okay, fine." He agreed, giving her his best smile. "And don't think I won't hold you to that."

Bo had pulled Kenzi away as well and was doing her part to convince Kenzi to go with Colin. It wasn't hard.

"Go with him, Kenz. Give him a chance."

"Only if you promise that you aren't going to jump Lauren right here. Don't think I don't see the way you were looking at each other earlier? Holding hands."

Bo sighed. "It's not like that, Kenzi and you know it. This is strictly business. I want to know what she found out about the last victim and I want to give her the lists that Samuel gave me. Besides Trick, Lauren knows more about Fae than anyone we know."

"That's true," Kenzi had to agree. She looked sideways at Colin and Lauren. "Okay, okay, I'll go with him, but you _better_ not bow-chica-wow-wow." Bo rolled her eyes and slapped Kenzi on the arm. Kenzi grinned wickedly at her and took a few steps towards where Colin and Lauren were before turning around and mouthing _Be careful_ with a serious expression. Bo gave her a bright smile and a thumbs up.

"So, what kind of weir-ass Fae-food do you have here?" Kenzi asked, loudly enough for both Bo and Lauren to hear her. She hooked her arm in Colin's – much to the young man's surprise – and gave him a stunning smile. He recovered from his surprise rather quickly. He settled her hands into a comfortable position on his arm for both, and then led her from the lobby. As they walked away, he leaned his head down and said something to Kenzi that made her laugh.

"Well, they seem to like one another," Lauren said, conversationally.

"Yeah, they do. He has good taste." Bo agreed. They both took a few steps towards each other, until they were close enough to touch. Bo reached into her pocket, pulled out her notebook, and opened it to the first list, the one that had _Dragon_ at the top of it.

"What's this?" Lauren asked as she peered at the list when Bo handed it to her.

"Well, before you tell me what you found on the last victim, I wanted you to take a look at these," Bo told her, "and give me your first impression."

"Alright," Lauren agreed. She read through the lists quickly – they weren't exactly long – and then looked up at Bo with a neutral expression.

"So what do you think?" Bo asked, expectantly.

"I think…You've been talking to Samuel." Lauren replied, voice amused, but her face expressionless. Bo couldn't tell what she thought of Samuel.

"Yes. We took a tour of each of the crime scenes. He gave me more information than that Trio of yours." Bo replied evenly.

"They aren't mine; though I am sorry they wouldn't let you help."

"The called me 'too young' to help and they dismissed Kenzi's idea of a shifter like it was nothing." Bo replied sourly.

Lauren reached out and patted Bo's shoulder affectionately. "Don't be too discouraged. They will see how amazing you are at what you do. They will come around."

"You think so?"

"Bo, I've seen you work and I know that if you weren't as successful as you are, you wouldn't be _here_. That is why I am trying to take these lists seriously; because obviously you are going somewhere with them." Lauren told her, giving her shoulder a squeeze before withdrawing her hand; Bo was sorry when she did.

"Yeah, I know it doesn't seem like much to go on, but the Trio refuses to even _consider_ any of these. I have a feeling that if we don't look into it, we will miss out on something."

Lauren looked at the lists again, this time more carefully, trying to keep an open mind while she did. "Well, a lot of these are extinct and the rest are under-Fae so rare or shy that they haven't been seen in centuries. A Dragon, Bo?" She raised one pale brow.

"Samuel said that the Fae probably tried to use ward magic, but that whatever killed her, it had to be something like Dragon Fyre. He made sure to tell me that Dragons don't exist anymore, but I think that he was on to something." Bo tried to explain. "Remember the Basilisk?"

"How could I forget?" Lauren smiled and rolled her eyes. "Do you think this is something like that? A Fae that was thought to be rare or extinct, captured, held, but this one escaped?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it's something else. I don't know, Lauren." Bo let out a frustrated huff of breath. "I want to send the lists to Trick and see if maybe he can add anything or give us any more ideas. Then I want to try talking to the Trio again."

"Okay. Can I make a copy of these? I'll start researching after lunch."

"Sure. And thanks, I mean it." Bo put her hand on Lauren's shoulder. Lauren gave her a shy smile.

"Any time." She replied. They walked over to the receptionist's desk; there was a copy machine behind it. Lauren bent over and retrieved a piece of blank paper from the machine, then bent over to get a pen, by the time she was bent over the desk, copying Bo's lists, Bo was fighting to keep from reaching out and running her hand over Lauren's ass. It was _right there_, for crying out loud! And it – _she_ - looked really good in those pants, even without the lab coat.

_Damn it, Bo, control yourself_, she tried to command her libido. It did no good; even before the Garuda, it had been a struggle to keep her hands to herself when it came to _Lauren_. A very small part of her had been grateful when Lauren left because at least she wasn't torturing herself with someone she _knew_ was off limits. After the Garuda, when her emotions had been so very volatile, being around Lauren, sometimes even just the sound of her voice had driven Bo to distraction. It didn't help that practically everywhere Lauren went, Nadia had followed.

_Nadia isn't here_, Bo thought and a smile crossed across her lips. She looked around the enormous lobby; it was empty. Except for the guy who was just coming in through the front doors; Bo wanted to groan aloud at the injustice of it. Sighing instead, she leaned over next to Lauren and whispered, "Hey, we have company."

"What?" Lauren turned her head, confusion etched onto her face.

"Someone's here." Bo said, "They just walked in."

The doctor looked up from her writing and frowned. "The sign said 'Closed for Lunch', didn't it?"

"Yeah. But the doors are unlocked, Kenzi and I got in. Maybe he saw us?" Bo whispered back. "Should I try to talk to him?" Bo answered her own question by walking out from behind the desk and towards the incoming man.

She could tell that he was a man, even from across the gigantic lobby; there was something about his aura. But the closer she got, the more a feeling of dread started to creep up her spine. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she stopped walking; so did the man. Bo stared at him, trying to pin down her bad feeling, but the more she looked at him the worse the feeling got until her stomach started to roil.

"Uh, hey, listen, this place is closed," she tried. The man tilted his head to the side, the way a curious dog would. He had no expression on his face and suddenly Bo realised part of her dread: the guy had a face like nothing she had ever seen before. On the surface, he seemed human enough, if you didn't give him a second glance; most people wouldn't if they didn't have to. On closer inspection though, Bo saw that his features were dull, lifeless, and unmemorable. He could easily blend into the background and he was so bland that even Bo, after years of PI work, would have been hard pressed to describe him to the police.

"I said, this place is closed for an hour, come back then." She tried again. The man just stared at her, head tilting from one side to the other.

Lauren had finished her task and she came to stand next to Bo. Her demeanour was relaxed and non-threatening and she said something to the man in what sounded like German. He focused on her and as soon as he did, Lauren seemed to freeze. Her eyes slipped out of focus and her words trailed off; she was clearly hypnotised.

_What the hell_, Bo thought. She took Lauren by the shoulders and shook her gently. When that didn't work, Bo tried waving her hand in front of the doctor's face; Lauren blinked twice and then focused on Bo with a frown.

"What's going on?" She asked in a dazed voice, "Bo?"

Bo turned on the man and growled, "What did you do? What are you? Why are you here?"

That was apparently the wrong thing to say. The next thing that Bo knew, she felt a hard pressure on her chest and she was flying backwards and into the receptionist desk. It happened so fast, and Bo hadn't even seen him move. Stars swam before her eyes once she stopped moving and it was a struggle to catch her breath. When her thoughts cleared, Bo sat up; she was in time to see Lauren being flung through the air and land hard enough against one of the couches that it tipped over. That sight galvanised Bo and she rolled to her feet, searching for the man so that she could fight back.

He was gone.

In his place was a creature the likes of which Bo had never seen. It seemed to be multiple creatures at once; it had three heads, each a different kind of animal that looked nothing like what was found in nature. One head was covered in shaggy grey and black fur; it had a snout like a donkey, ears like a mule, curling black horns, and a dirty-grey beard like a mountain goat. The head in the middle could not be anything other than that of a dragon; it had black scales covering its head and the top part of the neck, and grey scales on the underside of the long, powerful neck; it had a set of gleaming black horns that stood straight up atop its massive head. The final head resembled a lion, but done in black and grey like the rest; its fur was a dirty-grey like the goat-head, and its mane was thick and jet-black. It had horns, too, but they looked more like a bull's horns. Each head had a set of eyes that were covered in a thick milky film and it was obvious that the creature was blind. Its body was massive and looked like it belonged to three animas as well – the front half had shaggy grey fur that darkened the further back it went. Folded tightly on either side of its body were shiny black membranous wings, like a bat. The front two paws were the size of serving plates and contained retractable claws while the back half had enormous cloven hooves that looked just right for stomping someone to death. For a moment, Bo felt sorry for it…and then she saw its tail.

It was alive. The body of the snake was at least eight feet long and as big around as Bo's torso where its body joined the rest of the creature. She could see the way the muscles undulated under the skin as it rose up above the rest of the beast to glare with clear, malevolent eyes at Bo. Its head was roughly triangular, the size of a dinner plate, and its eyes were bright green with pupils that were shaped like hourglasses. It opened its mouth, stuck out its black tongue and made a horrible _hissing-screeching_ noise and lunged at Bo.

The thing was fast, but Bo was ready for it and she managed to dodge the swing of the snake's head, rolling sideways and coming to her feet, still moving. The snake's head whipped around, tracking her progress easily. It made that weird _hiss-screech_ again and the lion's head gave a mighty roar. The beast turned its whole body to face her. The three heads, though blind, fixed on her position and she realised that it was the snake's head that directed them. It rose high above the body, towering over it and glaring down at Bo. The lion's head shook its black mane, the goat head let out a deep-throated bleating cry, and white smoke began to dribble from the dragon's nostrils while it made a rumbling noise.

Bo kept moving, trying to get around and behind the thing, but it was no good. That snake was just too fast and it kept track of her with ease. She kept looking towards where the couch was tipped over, looking to see if Lauren was okay. There was no movement at all and Bo's heart sank, but it didn't stop her from ducking and rolling again as a paw full of lethal intent was swiped at her, black claws extended; it missed by a hairs-breadth and landed on the floor with a subdued _thump_ that cracked the pretty tiles. The snake bared its fangs at her and lunged at Bo again, but she got out of the way. She was not fast enough to dodge the huge black hoof that suddenly kicked at her. It struck her left thigh and there was a horrible snapping sound.

Pain shot through Bo's entire body and she fell. She tried to stop the fall with her arms, but one hand slid on the pretty tiles and she fell forward, landing hard on the side of her head. Stars swam before her eyes and things were quickly going dim. Bo's mind screamed, _NO_! And she fought to clear her vision, fought to move, even though the pain in her thigh and her head made her dizzy as hell. Whatever this _thing_ was, she wasn't going to just give up without a fight.

Her eyes began to glow.


	7. Chapter 6B

Pairing: Bo/Lauren, Kenzi/OC

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do. ShowCase owns the main ones.

Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the latest episodes.

Author's Note: ** Part VI turned out longer than I thought…Oh well. So, so, so, so, sorry this has taken so long to get out. RL has been crazy busy and my car has very nearly given up the ghost. Thank you all for your comments and words of encouragement! I just hope that these chapters work as well for you as they did for me. More comments welcome, of course!**

It All Starts With…

Part VI b: A Losing Battle

Colin stopped outside the door to the cafeteria. At least Kenzi assumed it was the cafeteria, judging from the delicious smells wafting down the hallway and the general roar of a crowd inside. The young doctor looked behind them, an annoyed expression on his handsome face.

"What's wrong?" Kenzi wanted to know. After walking down three seemingly endless corridors, her stomach was rumbling just from smelling whatever was inside that room.

"Damn it, she promised." He grumbled and then turned back to Kenzi, an apologetic smile on his face. "Look, I'm sorry, but I have to go back and get Lauren. If I don't, there's a good chance she won't eat lunch and then she'll be grouchy later."

"When is she not grouchy?" Kenzi wanted to know. Lauren had rarely been anything but frosty to her – though she had to admit that she hadn't exactly been nice to the doctor, either – and she wondered what a grouchy Lauren was like.

"You don't like Lauren, do you?" He asked, frowning at her. "I don't understand that. She's a brilliant woman and she is an amazing doctor. She's also a great friend."

"It's complicated." Kenzi hedged, grimacing. "Look, we were just never as friendly as she and Bo are."

"I should hope not," Colin's frown suddenly turned into a grin, "Or I've been completely misreading you these last couple of days."

"What? Oh, no!" Kenzi blushed a little. "I didn't mean it like that. " She fumbled for words and found that she rather liked the way that Colin was looking at her, his green eyes flashing with mirth at her discomfort; it made her feel kind of warm and tingly all over. He had a really, really nice smile. Damn it.

Ignoring her stomach's complaints, Kenzi rolled her eyes and started walking back towards where they had come. Colin just kept grinning as he followed her. They didn't say anything as they walked, though Kenzi could not help glancing to the side occasionally. She fervently hoped that they didn't walk into that lobby and see Bo and Lauren getting it on. She doubted that Lauren was into that, but she had a feeling that Bo could talk the doctor into it. She wondered what kinds of things she might be able to talk Colin into…once the case was over, obviously.

When they were nearer to the lobby, Kenzi heard a loud thump. "What the hell?" She looked at Colin, who had also heard the sound and he frowned. They quickened their steps and as they approached, a roar sounded loud enough to make Kenzi freeze in her tracks. She heard another noise that reminded her of something about to explode and they both broke into a run.

Kenzi got there first and she skidded to a halt, wide eyed and staring when she saw the thing that was batting Bo around in its massive paws the way a cat will sometimes play with a mouse before it kills it. Bo was as limp as a rag-doll and she had several bleeding cuts on her face and one leg hung at a wrong angle. The thing batted her into the air with a giant paw and then swatted her from the air as she fell and Bo went flying through the air for several feet before she hit the ground in a heap and slid across the tiles into the wall.

The human girl was shocked to the core, but Colin moved fast and slammed his elbow into the glass case around a nearby fire alarm. The case broke and he quickly pulled the alarm. A loud claxon began and all three heads on the monster let out near deafening roars. The sound also caused Kenzi to startle and she suddenly screamed, "BO!"

The creature heard her scream and the three heads began to turn her way, but the snake head rose above all three and turned towards the doors. The great black wings unfurled from its sides and instead of completing its attack, instead of going for the kill, it began to back up slowly. Then suddenly it turned, took three giant steps and leapt into the air. Kenzi thought for sure that it would simply bash its head on the glass above them, but it didn't. Instead, the air around it suddenly shimmered and it vanished. It reappeared a moment later and threw itself bodily against the glass of the high ceiling, right above where Bo lay. It shattered a single pane of glass and somehow soared up into the sky before it vanished again.

With the creature gone, Kenzi chose ran across the floor, careful not to trip or to slide on the pieces of glass that were now strewn across the floor. She yelled, "Bo! Oh my god, Bo, Bo!" as she went. Bo didn't move, didn't even twitch. "Colin!"

Colin ran over to her and knelt down by Bo. His eyes tracked over Bo's body, taking in her injuries. Aside from the cuts obvious on her face, Bo also had two black and quickly swelling eyes as well as a broken nose and a lump forming on the side of her head, but there was no blood, which was a small mercy. He noted the compound fracture of her left thigh with some alarm. He had to touch Bo's neck and shoulders and though she moaned weakly, did not seem to stir. He didn't think her neck was broken, or her collar bone, which was another small mercy. Next he checked her chest and walked his fingers down her abdomen; he felt several broken ribs and a hardness starting just a bit lower than her last rib. Internal bleeding, then, and bad by the feel of it. He swore softly.

"Is it bad?" Kenzi yelled over the alarm, tears forming in her eyes as she gripped one of Bo's hands in hers and stared down at her friend. At least she was breathing, that was always a good sign, right?

"Bad enough." He yelled back. She has broken ribs and internal bleeding, though by some mercy, her ribs didn't puncture her lungs, so her breathing isn't impaired. I don't think her neck is broken, but we shouldn't move her unless it's necessary. Her leg is broken, too, badly. Um…" He looked at Kenzi and made a face she couldn't read, "I hate to ask, but I know that a succubus can heal by…um…" his thought trailed off and he suddenly looked around.

"What is it?" Kenzi wanted to know, her eyes leaving Bo for a few moments to scan the room.

"Where's Lauren?"

Kenzi swore. She looked down at Bo once more. If anything had happened to the doctor, Bo would be heartbroken…again. Kenzi sighed and then swore again. Bo would be okay, she just had to heal. She stood up and scanned the room again. One of the big comfy couches was tipped over, but aside from that, the only other damage was to the tiles of the floor. She raced over to it and peered behind it.

Lauren was lying there, unconscious, with a small cut above her right eyebrow, but she looked fine otherwise. Kenzi knelt down and gently shook her shoulder, but got no reaction. She shook her harder; nothing. Swearing, Kenzi said her name and when that got no response, she practically screamed, "LAUREN!" but the woman didn't even stir. Scared now, Kenzi looked around and fixated on the fountain and its cold water. She also saw the cup of pens on the reception desk so she dashed to it, dumped out the pens, and filled the cup from the fountain. Back at Lauren's side, Kenzi splashed the cold water directly onto Lauren's face.

The blonde gasped and sat up, a string of curses that Kenzi had been sure the good doctor didn't know came from her mouth. "What the HELL!"

"Oh good, you're okay!" Kenzi yelled over the alarm again. "What was that thing?"

As if on cue there was another shattering of glass and said creature dropped through the ceiling once more. It landed lightly for something so big, completely ignoring the rain of glass that made all of the humans duck and put their arms over their heads. All three heads let out bellows enough to be more than heard over the blaring alarm. The snake's head tail rose high above the body and focused on Bo's prone form. One massive paw reached out and took a single swipe at the downed succubus. It missed striking Colin who had taken cover from the glass, and though the blow could not be seen, Bo's body arched up off of the floor and she screamed. The creature roared once more, and then turned its back, scraped at the floor twice with its hind-hooves, then leapt and flew through the first hole in the ceiling.

Kenzi recovered faster than Lauren, though the doctor was right behind her as they ran across the room to where Bo and Colin were. The young doctor had also recovered and had moved back to his patient. Bo was bleeding now from two gouges across her abdomen and he was struggling to tear her shirt open. Abruptly, the alarms stopped blaring.

Lauren knelt down, heedless of the glass on the floor as it cut into her knees, and helped Colin with Bo's shirt. Kenzi knelt at Bo's head and watched them work, painfully aware of how much blood was leaking from the deep cuts the beast had inflicted on her friend. Without thinking, Lauren opened her blouse and tore the undershirt from her body, pressing it hard against the blood. Colin did the same, neither one speaking as they did. The material soaked through fast and Lauren swore under her breath.

"She needs to feed," Lauren stated finally. "Kenzi do you know who she…chose…today?" It hurt her to ask that, though she had once upon a time accepted what Bo needed to heal herself; Lauren also knew that Ciara had, as a host should, offered her a choice of willing people to feed from should she need it.

"I…I think so." Kenzi replied, her face had gone even whiter than her normal pale complexion. Lauren knew shock when she saw it.

"Who, Kenzi, who did Bo choose today?" Colin asked, but Kenzi wasn't listening to him just then. She was staring down at her best friend and the blood quickly soaking through the two pieces of cloth. She had seen Bo torn up plenty of times, just not like this. Not even the Garuda had done this.

Lauren fought back her own fear and despair at seeing Bo like this. She put her hand in front of Kenzi's face and snapped her fingers two times in quick succession. Kenzi blinked rapidly and looked up into the doctor's eyes. "Kenzi, I need you to tell Colin which of the staff Bo chose for her…needs."

Kenzi blinked a couple of times more before she focussed on Colin's concerned face and said, her voice stiff and uninflected, "Uh…Fritz and Ingrid…and…a redheaded security guard and a little Asian chick."

"Go. Find Fritz or Ingrid." Lauren ordered Colin. He scrambled to his feet and took off at a sprint. "Kenzi," Lauren began, keeping her voice soft and soothing, "I need some pressure bandages and sutures. I need you to go down the hallway, four doors on the right, and get the big red bag hanging on the wall just inside of the door."

Kenzi mumbled, "But, Bo…"

"I need to stay here with her. Go, Kenzi, four doors, big red bag." Lauren ordered, putting just a little steel into her voice.

Kenzi stared down at Bo for a few more seconds before getting to her feet too and then running in the same direction that Colin had gone.

Lauren looked down at her patient. Bo's complexion was starting to fade as she lost blood. Lauren wasn't sure that she would survive long enough to stitch her up. She knew what Bo needed, she just didn't know if she would be enough. Only one way to find out.

The woman took one hand away from where she was holding the blood soaked cloth to Bo's abdomen and used her hand to lightly slap at Bo's cheek, trying to rouse her. It worked just enough. The succubus' eyes opened, though they weren't focused on anything or anyone.

"Bo, it's me, it's Lauren. Bo, stay with me." That last sentence was said with a note of panic in her voice, but Lauren reigned it in and tapped Bo's face again to get her to re-open her eyes. "Bo, you're hurt, badly. I want to help you, but you need to feed." The succubus frowned at that, eye-brows furrowing. "Yes, you do. It's okay," Lauren leaned down closer to Bo's lips, "it's okay, I'm here. I know, better late than never." And she kissed Bo softly. Despite the situation, a little thrill coursed through her at the barest touch of her lips to Bo's. Lauren was half afraid that Bo would refuse, because it was her and the succubus had patently refused to feed from her before.

Nothing happened at first and Lauren was frustrated; and then, she felt it – a strange pull at her centre and spreading warmth that set every nerve ending in her body alight with a pleasure so intense it left her breathless – (or was that just the kiss) – and she could feel an orgasm building in seconds. A white light blocked out her vision. Her heart pounded faster and her libido began to match its rhythm. Her body tensed and then the pleasure began to fade; numbness crept in and Lauren was somewhat aware that this was not a good thing. The numbness grew and spread, the pleasure faded and Lauren groaned at its loss. Blackness began to destroy the brightness in her vision and a part of her realised that this, too, was not good thing, but she was beyond caring…

Kenzi got back to Lauren, lugging the large red medical bag, in time to see the blonde letting Bo chi-suck her to death. "Shit!" She dropped the bag and sprinted over to the other two women. Using all of her strength, Kenzi grabbed Lauren by the shoulders and shoved her to the side, away from Bo. Once on her side on the floor, Lauren's eyes slipped shut and a wide smile stretched across her face. Kenzi knelt next to her and felt her pulse; alive, weak but alive. Kenzi let out her breath in a whoosh and turned her attention to Bo. Why on earth had Lauren allowed Bo to feed from her? And why had Bo gone through with it when she had never shown any interest in doing so before?

It wasn't until Kenzi saw Bo, saw that the gouges in her flesh had healed to nothing more than paper-cuts that she understood. Bo had been bleeding a whole lot more than was healthy, though in her shock, Kenzi had barely registered more than Bo's prone body and the monstrous creature that had done it to her. What the hell was that thing, anyway? She had removed the bloodied shirts and put them aside when people started entering the lobby and things got a little confusing.

In the end, Ciara had appeared – after running down nine flights of stairs because the elevators had shut down when the alarm went off – and taken charge. She had ordered that Bo, Fritz, and Ingrid go into one of the private offices for Bo's healing, Colin had gotten a stretcher and he and two others had taken Lauren to the Facility's private sick bay, and as much as Kenzi wanted to stay and wait for Bo, Ciara had asked her to go be checked over as well. Then she had gone over the PA system and informed everyone that they were closing for the duration of the day and that everyone should go home until they heard from her. A mass exodus had begun, but Kenzi was swept away by the red-headed security guard and taken to the sick bay.

She had to have a couple of pieces of glass removed from her knees – she hadn't felt them until it was pointed out to her – and had the wounds disinfected and band-aids put on them. Feeling foolish, she went to stand beside the bed on which they had lain Lauren because she was the only "friendly face" in the whole room. Lauren had been hooked up to an IV of some shimmery greenish liquid and she opened her eyes when Kenzi approached. For a second, the doctor's eyes widened in alarm, but Kenzi gave her a tight smile and said, "Don't worry, Doc, she's fine. You saved her."

Lauren relaxed at that, eyes slipping shut for a few moments before opening again. She tried to speak, but her mouth wouldn't form words and Kenzi had to shush her gently. "Why did you do it? She could have killed you, Lauren." She inquired.

Lauren shook her head weakly and a smile appeared on her face like a sunbeam. Kenzi had seen that kind of smile before, and knew that Lauren was still suffering the after effects of being succubused. Lauren's face screwed up for a moment and she swallowed hard before she managed to rasp, "Trust Bo. Not let anything happen to me."

Kenzi had never met anyone like Lauren, really. Even in the beginning, Lauren had consistently risked herself to help Bo whenever she needed it. And Bo had always done what she could in return. Even when she hated Lauren or when Lauren was angry with Bo, they had had each other's backs. And now, it looked as though Lauren's trust of Bo went deep enough to trust a dying succubus not to kill her. Kenzi wasn't sure that it was true, that Lauren would be alive if she hadn't stopped the feed. She didn't say that to Lauren, though.

"She still cares about you, you know," she said. "She never stopped, really. It was pretty crappy, you just leaving like that, but she understood after a while." Lauren's brows furrowed and she tried to form more words, but couldn't and she let out a frustrated breath. "No, you should rest. I just wanted you to know, okay? Rest." Kenzi reached out and touched the hand that was attached to the IV. It was odd, but Kenzi was suddenly feeling soft towards the doctor. Lauren closed her eyes and in a moment, she had passed out again.

Bo stormed into the sick bay a few moments afterward and when she saw Kenzi and Lauren she made a bee-line for the doctor, a sick expression on her face. Behind her came Ingrid who was helping to support her husband, who looked a little grey and was having trouble keeping his feet under him. Though she didn't look that strong, Ingrid didn't seem to have any problem supporting his weight. Bo stopped at the bed and looked down at Lauren, tears beginning to fall before she could stop them.

"Is she…?" Her voice broke and she couldn't finish her thought.

"She'll be fine," Kenzi told her gently, "Colin says that solution in the bag is something that Lauren made and once it's in her system she'll be feeling much better."

Bo glanced at the shimmery green liquid and then focused back on Lauren. "What is it?"

"Liquid chi, more or less," Colin replied as he came to stand next to Lauren's bed.

"What?"

"Lauren created it to help some humans who were regular food for an Incubus. They were getting sick, but none of them wanted to stop and the Incubus couldn't stand hurting them. So Lauren created this solution," he tapped the bag, "to mimic chi."

"How?" Bo wanted to know, her expression awed as she looked back and forth between the woman in the bed and the IV bag.

"Some basic ingredients and a little magic – not on her part, she is as hopeless as any human when it comes to magic – and viola, you have liquid chi." Colin replied. He fiddled with the tubing a little. "So when I say she'll be fine, if you can't trust me, trust her. She's the most brilliant doctor I've ever known."

"Yes, she is." Bo agreed. She reached out her hand and lightly touched Lauren's cheek. Her gaze slowly turned to that of adoration. She stifled a yawn. Kenzi sighed and gestured to Colin with her chin. The two humans walked a short distance away.

"So, she will be okay?" Kenzi pressed and Colin gave her a sweet smile and nodded. "Good. Look, I am going to take Bo back to the hotel…She may be a succubus, but her injuries were really bad and after healing that much, she's going to need a nap. How long before Lauren is mobile?"

Colin tilted his head to the side quizzically. "A few hours at least. Why?"

"I need to ask a favour and you might not like it, but you need to trust me, it's in everyone's best interests." Kenzi gave him her best reassuring smile.


	8. Chapter 7

Pairing: Bo/Lauren, Kenzi/OC

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do. ShowCase owns the main ones.

Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the latest episodes.

Author's Note: 

It All Starts With…

Part VII: Reconciliation

"I'm _fine_ Colin. No, really, I _am_. Yes. I took a nap, I just took a long shower, and now I'm going to have dinner. Then, I'm going to curl up on my couch with a book. Satisfied?" Lauren rolled her eyes in annoyance, but she couldn't help smiling; he was so cute when he tried to take care of her. Ciara was lucky to have him as a brother and she was glad to call him a friend.

One the other end of the phone line, Lauren could hear him huff out a breath. _"Just take care of yourself, Lauren_." It was practically an order.

"Oh yessir, Doctor Bronson." Lauren said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "Look, I appreciate your concern, I really do, but I'm _fine_. The serum works like a charm and I feel as good as new after my nap."

_"Good as new?"_ He sputtered, _"My gods, Lauren, you could have been _killed_ today!"_

"No, I couldn't." She replied her voice managing to stay even, though her temper flared a little. "Bo would never have allowed that to happen." She meant that; she had trusted the succubus with her life on so many other occassions and today was no different.

_"You don't _know _that. She was pretty far gone. If Kenzi hadn't pulled you away when she did...Lauren what on Earth possessed you to do _that_? It isn't like you to take chances that way."_ Colin retorted. Lauren could hear him trying to take control of his emotions and felt a little bad for being angry at him. He cared about her to an irrational degree sometimes, which is what made him such a good doctor and an assisstant.

She tried to explain, but no words seemed good enough to describe how utterly helpless she had felt; to tell him that the thought of losing Bo after just finding her again had very nearly broken something inside of her.

She must've hesitated too long. _"Laur? You okay?"_ Nobody but Nadia had ever called her that. Colin used the short-name when he was especially concerned.

"I...Colin, have you ever...I couldn't do anything else. If Bo had...I wouldn't have been able to live with myself." Lauren finally managed to say. Tears welled up in her eyes at the memory of feeling Bo slip away, of the anguished, guilty look in Kenzi's eyes. The younger woman loved Bo with all the intensity of family, but she hadn't been capable of giving Bo what she needed.

_"Oh. Lauren, are you _sure_ about her? Would she do the same for _you_?"_

"Yes." And not because of who she was, just because that was Bo. "In half a heartbeat or less."

Colin didn't reply for a few moments. Finally, he let out a gusty sigh. _"I need a drink. Want some company as you convelesce? I could bring over _ER_ and we could make fun of how fake it is."_

Lauren laughed aloud. "Tempting, but no, thank you. I just want to put something in my stomach and lose myself in a trusty book. Why don't you go out? Be careful, obviously, but we have a couple of days off, so take advantage while you can."

_"You're sure you don't need anything?"_ He asked.

_What I need, you can't give me boy-o_, the doctor thought wryly. She had lied a little about curling up with a book, at least right away. The almost constant throb between her legs was begging for attention - the after effects of Bo feeding on her. "I'm good, really. I will call if I do need anything."

_"Alright. Good night Lauren."_

"Good night, Colin." She hung up the phone and replaced it on its cradle. She had to be one of the only people she knew who still had home phone along with her mobile.

She padded in her bare feet into the small area of her flat that was a kitchen. As she did, Lauren caught a look at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall. She was wearing a pair of grey cotton pajama pants and a loose purple t-shirt under her favourite robe. Her blonde hair was still a little damp from her shower and it had started to curl a little at the ends like it was wont to do if she left it alone. Her eyes were clear and bright. Honestly, she felt like a new person - even being as painfully aroused as she was, with no real outlet.

In her kitchen, Lauren took the chicken that she had been marinating out of the refrigerator. She turned the oven on to preheat and put the chicken in a baking dish. Then she got two pots and filled one with water, putting it on the stove to boil. To the smaller of the two pots, Laure added a jar of generic red sauce. Then she added some of the freshly crushed herbs she had hanging over the counter as an alternative to a spice rack. She then added some mushrooms, some diced green peppers, and minced garlic. She stirred everything and put it on the stove on low, stirring every few minutes. As the finishing touch, she made a fast salad and drizzled a mix of herb enfused olive oil and balsamic vinegar over it before carefully tossing it in a large bowl. She put the chicken in the oven and added oil to the almost boiling water.

While it seemed that she was making a lot of food for one person, she actually cooked like this a lot. It made it easier for her to take food to work on subsequent days. Even though there was a full canteen at the facility and it was worked by a Fae who could whip up just about anything you asked for, Lauren liked to eat in her office so that she could get more work done. Tonight's meal would last a few days and she could mix and match for different flavour combinations. She pulled out a plate and silverware for herself and set it on her tiny table.

Just as she was adding her whole-grain pasta to the now boiling water her door buzzer sounded. _Who in the world...?_ "Colin, I told you I'm fine..." she growled, but was already reaching into her cupboard for an extra plate. It would be just like him to stop in to check on her before going out and if he was here, he _was_ going to eat with her.

Putting on a smile, Lauren went to her door and opened it. Her forced smile turned into a genuine one as soon as she saw who was on the other side.

Bo stood in the hallway anxiously shifting from one foot to the other. She had succubused her way into the building and then taken the elevator to the third floor where Kenzi had told her Lauren's apartment was. Then she stood outside the door grappling with her fear and anxiety. What if Lauren got angry that she had just shown up, instead of being happy to see her? Or what if she was still asleep from almost being _chi_-sucked to death? Bo's stomach churned at that thought. _What if I really hurt her?_

Despite Kenzi's and Colin's assurances that the doctor was going to be just fine, Bo had insisted on seeing it for herself. She didn't think she would be any good to anyone until she made sure that Lauren was really and truly okay.

_That_ more than anything is what made her screw up her courage and ring the buzzer at Lauren's door.

After a few moments, the door swung open and _she_ was standing there dressed in pajamas, a light robe, and bare feet. Her hair looked a little damp, but other than that she looked gloriously _alive_ and her smile grew as soon as she saw Bo.

"_Thank god_!" The succubus breathed and then before either of them knew what was happening, Bo had thrown both arms around Lauren and was hugging her tightly, burrying her head in the human's neck.

Lauren hesitated only a fraction of a second before she wound her own arms around the succubus to return the hug. Even though Colin had told her that Bo was fine, that she had healed her wounds completely with the help of Fritz, and that Kenzi had taken her back to the hotel to make sure she got some rest, Lauren had been so afraid that there would be permanent damage of some kind, maybe scarring. But here she was, unmarred, healthy, and _alive_.

Lauren didn't know when the tears she had been holding back since she'd seen Bo lying on the floor of the facility began to fall. They were silent tears and Lauren knew that they were equal parts fear and relief; she did her best not to shudder.

Bo pulled back first. She didn't want to let go, but after her tears were spent, she felt other emotions beginning to rise. One hormonal cocktail had played out, and another was all too eager to get started.

When they stood at arms-length, Bo once more outside of Lauren's apartment, she gave the doctor a wavering smile and said, "Hey."

Lauren's expression was a watery, but her smile lit up her eyes as she looked at Bo. The succubus was wearing loose fitting black jeans and a plain white t-shirt with a plunging neckline under a simple denim jacket. She was also wearing plain white running shoes that looked like they were well worn. She looked beautiful.

"Hi. I..." she tilted her head to one side and said, "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but how did you find me - my place?" And then because she realised that Bo was still standing in the hallway, "Please come in."

The invitation to enter made Bo relax a little; she wasn't angry. "Um, I don't want to get anyone in trouble. Apparently, you have wrath now." Bo said. She stepped inside and closed the door, then stood awkwardly in the tiny foyer unsure of what to say.

Lauren let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Colin?" She would have to thank her assistant for this.

Bo put her hands up and shook her head. "Uh-uh, I'm not naming names. And besides, Kenzi was the one to actually give me the address."

Lauren laughed warmly at that. "Ah yes, Kenzi, I should have known. He likes her, you know." She pursed her lips and looked at Bo, just drinking in the site of the woman who had haunted her dreams this afternoon and whose very presence was making her arrousal almost impossible to bear. Then, an impulse took her and she asked, "Would you like to stay for dinner, it's very nearly done cooking."

"What?" Bo asked, taken a little aback. She'd been watching the way that Lauren's aura had been spiking like crazy and it was kind of distracting. It made her brain foggy and it took a moment for the words to find meaning in her head. "Sorry. I mean yes, that would be lovely." She gave Lauren her best smile. "Should I take off my shoes?" She had noticed a small shoe rack on the floor near the door.

"If you'd like," Lauren smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, I need to check on dinner." She reached out and squeezed Bo's shoulder. "Just follow your nose when you're done."

Lauren went back into the kitchen. She could sense Bo's nervousness and wanted to give her a little time to collect herself. _She_ needed time, too; Bo was _here_, in her home. Her hands were shaking and her heart was racing as she took several deep breaths to try to quash her excitement a little. It was hard, _so hard_!

She got two wine glasses out of the cupboard and then chose her favourite white wine from the small rack above the refrigerator and set them on the counter. Then she checked the pasta and took it off of the burner. She drained the water from the noodles and then added some pesto and covered it. She checked the sauce and found it simmering nicely; the chicken was nearly ready as well.

"Whatever you're making in here smells fantastic!" Bo said from the doorway. Lauren turned to face her.

"Thank you. Here," she handed Bo the wine and then got the corkscrew down from where it was hanging. Bo took the bottle obediently and went about opening the wine while Lauren put the finishing touches on dinner. Once Bo had opened the bottle Lauren grinned and added just a dash of it to the sauce. She gave the bottle back to Bo and indicated the glasses; Bo was quick to fill them.

When the wine was poured, Lauren asked Bo to take it out to the little table and she followed with the bowl of salad and the extra place setting. She set the table, put the salad down, then instructed Bo to sit while she finished bringing out the food. Bo frowned.

"You don't want help?"

Lauren just smiled and, on another impulse, she bent over and gave the top of Bo's hair a light kiss. "Sit. I'll be right back."

While Bo waited until Lauren came back, she tried to look around at the rest of the apartment, but while she noted things - like the artwork on the walls and the almost spartan feel of the place that was so _Lauren_, it was hard not to watch the doorway for her to return.

Instead her mind stayed in a fog of happy endorphins because the very same woman had just given her a kiss. Yes, it had been a very chaste kiss, on the _head_, but Lauren's _lips_ had touched her and it was enough that she wanted to tell the blonde to _forget_ _about dinner_ and maybe just ravage her right there on the floor.

_Damn it, calm down! _She told herself. _This no time for _that_. Just have a nice meal...and then maybe..._ She shook her head and very firmly told her libido to take a chill pill.

"Something wrong?" Lauren asked as she came back with two serving dishes and set them on the table. She had seen Bo shake her head and knew that the succubus was having some sort of inner discussion. She only hoped that it wasn't whether or not to actually stay for dinner.

"No. Nothing at all. Wow, that looks and smells delicious!" And it was.

Lauren dished out chicken, noodles and sauce, and salad, then added some crusty herb bread she had remembered just buying. Then she picked up her wine glass and held it up in a toast.

Bo followed suit, "What are we toasting?"

"How about life?" Lauren suggested, "And living?"

Bo grinned. "I can certainly get behind _that_. Cheers!" They clinked glasses lightly and took a drink. Bo blinked at the wine in amazement and took another drink because it was the best white wine she had ever tasted. Lauren watched her reaction to the drink with a quiet smile. Then, the two women set to, eating with much gusto.

Lauren hadn't realised just how hungry she was until the first piece of chicken touched her tongue. Suddenly, she was ravenous!

Bo knew that she was hungry - healing always did that to her. What she hadn't counted on was eating Lauren's cooking. Back in the day, almost four years ago, Lauren had made the most amazing cupcakes both Bo and Kenzi had ever eaten; the rest of her cooking was _better_. She also hadn't realised that she was quite _that_ hungry, though maybe she should have known. She had healed a hell of a lot of damage to her body in a reletively short amount of time; it stood to reason that she'd used up more energy than just chi.

Lauren looked at her empty plate and then at the nearly empty platters and salad bowl. _So much for left overs_, she thought ruefully. She took her last drink of wine slowly, watching Bo through her lashes. The succubus sat back in her chair, looking repleat and as happy as a cat lying in a patch of sunlight. A smile curled its way onto her lips and she let out a little sigh.

"_That_ was quite possibly the best meal I have eaten in awhile and that _includes_ Trick's cooking." She said.

"I..." Lauren felt herself flush a little and put down her empty glass, "Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"I really did. Kenzi is going to be _so_ jealous. So, do you want me to wash or dry?"

Lauren blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Bo's smile became a smirk. "The dishes. You remember the rules don't you?"

The question caught Lauren off her guard. It took her a moment to think of the 'rules' that Bo was referring to. When she finally found the memory, she laughed out loud. "Bo, I don't expect you t -"

"- To just sit here and watch you clean up? I know that you wouldn't do that. So, wash or dry?"

Lauren laughed again and rolled her eyes. "I have a dishwasher."

"Then this will be easy." Bo's smirk turned into a full blown grin and Lauren knew that she would acceed.

Back when she had fled the Ash's compound and had sought refuge in Bo's 'home', she had nearly gone out of her mind with boredom. To fill some of her time, she had decided to cook because it was sort of like the lab. Bo had caught her washing the dishes and declared that if Lauren was going to cook such amazing food for them, then the clean up was _her_ job. The doctor had balked at that and they'd had to negotiate a compromise; Lauren would cook, but Bo would at least _help_ with the clean up. What Lauren hadn't figured out at the time was it was simply Bo wanting to spend some quality time with her, in close proximity, even if that closeness drove her crazy since she was playing hands off at the time.

This was pretty much the same reasoning, but in a much smaller space - and with more awkwardness than the last time.

The kitchen wasn't all that big. It barely had room enough for the refrigerator door to open completely without catching on anything. Lauren liked it because she didn't need to move around a lot to get to her ingredients. Now...

It was wonderfully torturous! No matter how they moved, they were always touching. Lauren thought she was going to go mad with lust in the short while they spent in proximity - Bo rinsing each dish clear of food and handing them to Lauren to put in the dishwasher. That hadn't been terrible; what had made her heart beat faster was when Bo had bent over to get something that she had dropped on the floor. Lauren had to bite back a little growl of appreciation at the site of Bo's ass in all its perfection. _She wanted to reach out and run her hands over it, maybe dig her fingers into the toned flesh..._

_Oh my god, get a _grip_! _She told herself firmly, biting the inside of her lower lip to keep from drooling. She watched Bo stand up straight and tried to smile in a way that didn't show how she was undressing the other woman in her mind. Maybe she just needed to relax a little more. _Yes, relax..._

Lauren's aura was ablaze. It was all Bo could do to keep from stepping into it and just basking. She knew that she shouldn't add to it, but when the spoon slipped from her fingers and on to the floor, she'd bent as slowly as she could, just to get a reaction. The whole room suddenly turned into a metaphysical sauna and the colours swirling around the human had flared like a torch. It took all of her willpower not to shade her eyes it was so bright, especially when she caught Lauren's scathing look upon straightening. It disappeared a moment later, replaced by a somewhat resigned look.

"Don't worry about running it," Lauren indicated the appliance, "I'll do it tomorrow. Come on, I have the perfect after dinner treat."

Lauren's treat turned out to be amazing wafer cookies and a glass of mellow red wine. They sat on Lauren's tiny loveseat with delusions of couch-hood, facing each other, and trying not to touch, though it was a losing battle.

They talked. It was very nearly like the old days; first they speculated about the creature that had attacked them, neither woman having any clue as to what it could be. Then Lauren asked about home - she still called it that, even after three years away. Bo then regailed her with tales of the more interesting cases they had taken on, making the doctor laugh. When that well ran dry, Bo asked Lauren what it was like living in Zurich. Lauren gave her a very scientific comparison and Bo had to smile because she had _always_ loved it when Lauren talked science-y.

"Do you like it here?" The succubus asked, taking a sip of wine. Her cup was nearly empty, but she was afraid to ask for another glass.

Lauren took a drink as well, gathering her wits. The red wine had blurred the edges just a little and she was feeling more relaxed than she had in ages. She replied, "It's different, but not in a bad way. I've gotten used to it, I guess."

"Do you miss, you know, _home_?" Bo finished her glass and set it aside.

"Almost every day." Lauren replied truthfully. "I don't miss working for Lachlan, but I do miss people and things...I missed _you_."

"Why did you leave?" Bo couldn't hide the raw pain in her voice.

Lauren had been waiting for that. She swallowed the last of her wine, set her glass aside, and focused on the beautiful woman in front of her. "_I'm so sorry_," she began, feeling a lump form in her throat, "I really am. Bo..." she reached out and took her hands. "At the time, I thought it was the best thing to do. I...I was a coward, really. I felt torn between you and Nadia, even though you basically backed off after she woke up. Everytime I saw you...I saw you hurting and it broke my heart because I knew that I was at least part of the reason." She paused to collect her thoughts.

"Why didn't you just _tell me_ you were leaving. At least said good-bye? Did I do -"

"- No!" Lauren exclaimed. "No, no you did nothing wrong, Bo, I swear. _I_ was just...I was trying so hard to be your friend and to be in love with Nadia...By the time I realised that it should have been the other way around, it was too late. And by that time, I was afraid that you hated me." She said the last part in a broken whisper.

"I did...for awhile." Bo admitted. She squeezed Lauren's hands, "I was so angry that you had just _gone_. After _everything_ that had happened, after what I did for Nadia…I felt like I had been abandoned. And then one day while Kenzi and I were doing our yearly super cleaning of the clubhouse, I found your picture in some of my things. You were happy and smiling and I knew that I wasn't mad anymore." Bo's mouth curved up into a sad smile.

"You forgave me? After everything I put you through? After bringing Nadia to your birthday? God that was so horrible of me! I knew it was wrong, even as I did it and I couldn't stop. You...you have always been an amazing person, Bo. I don't think people give you enough credit." The doctor returned the expression, feeling tears in her eyes again, but blinking them back.

"Thanks." Was all Bo could think to say, but her smile lost the sad edge.

"What do you mean, what you did for Nadia?" Lauren asked suddenly, Bo's comment finally penetrating her brain.

"Oh! Um…It's not important, really." Bo lied. "How about that weather, huh?"

But Lauren wasn't giving up that easily. "I know you helped me find her true condition, you got the cursing nail from The Morrigan, but I know that isn't want you meant." She frowned in thought and then something that should have occurred to her years before suddenly became clear. She had never understood _why_ Lachlan had ever agreed to help her get Nadia out of her coma, could never figure out why he hadn't just kept her in the dungeon until she broke. When Nadia had suddenly woken up, Lauren had been so happy, and so grateful that she had just accepted that it was the Ash's doing and she had re-dedicated herself to him without a second thought.

"It was _you_! _You_ broke the curse! Why didn't you tell me?"

Bo shook her head, but she was smiling a little; better late than never, she supposed. "I wasn't supposed to. Lachlan told me that if I told you…Something bad could happen. I wanted to, but I couldn't risk it."

Lauren wanted to throw her arms around Bo and never let go. Finding out that Bo had been the one who had ultimately saved Nadia was the best news she had heard since she had found out that Bo had survived her fight with the Garuda. _Why did it take me so long to realise that?_

Silence stretched for a few moments before Lauren blurted, "I wrote you a note."

"Huh?"

"Before I left, I mean. I tried to explain why I was going."

Bo frowned. "I never got it...Dyson and Hale never told me they found anything."

"Oh! Um," Lauren looked down at their hands. At some point, their fingers had become entwined and neither one of them had noticed; it felt so natural, just as it always had. "I never...god...I _kept_ it. I..." Lauren rolled her eyes at herself. "The words didn't seem like enough. A note. How...impersonal."

"It would have been _something_. I thought...at first, I thought maybe something had happened to you, but Dyson was sure it hadn't." Bo responded, finally putting words to how she had felt three years ago.

"I'm _so sorry_." Was all Lauren could think of to say, even if it wasn't nearly enough. She looked into Bo's eyes, trying to show her just how sorry she actually was. Bo just nodded and squeezed their joined hands once more before releasing them.

In the silence that ensued Lauren decided that she needed more wine and stood up. Bo reached out and took a hold of her wrist, gently pulling her back to the sofa. Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to Lauren's in a gentle, hesitant kiss.

Lauren's heart jumped right up into her throat. Her vision blurred with more tears, but these were tears of pure joy. Bo reached up and touched her cheek with her finger tips, feather soft, and trailed into her hair. Lauren wanted to reciprocate, wanted to pull Bo to her and kiss the succubus with three years of pent up emotion. Instead, she pulled back enough to look into Bo's dark eyes, molten now with desire.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice husky.

"I don't know yet," Bo responded. And then she smirked a little and finished, "so just let me."

At the sound of her own words from long ago echoed back to her, Lauren _melted_.

Their next kiss was anything but gentle, and still it was sweeter and more meaningful than _anything_ that came before. Bo's fingers tangled in her hair almost painfully, and Lauren relished the feeling, wrapping both arms around the succubus' neck, moaning as she did.

One of Bo's hands left her hair, brushing down her spine until it rested on her lower back. A shiver coursed through her, followed by a warmth that spread through her entire body before settling low in her belly. She gasped and pulled away, chest heaving. Bo was breathing harder, too and they rested their foreheads against each other until they caught their breaths a little.

The next kiss was slower and when Lauren's tongue brushed lightly against Bo's lower lip, she moaned and opened her mouth. Their tongues slid across each other in long sure strokes. The warmth moved lower and the throbbing between Lauren's legs redoubled.

Bo's hand on her back flattened and she pulled the doctor closer. Her lips left Lauren's to move lightly along her jaw and up to her ear lobe. She took it between her lips, sucking at first and then biting down so that her tongue could caress the sensitive flesh. Goosebumps rose on Lauren's neck and down the side of her body. She whimpered and wished for more, but Bo pulled away, concern etched on her face. Lauren tilted her head to the side in response, her hair falling away and giving the succubus a clear indication of what she wanted.

Bo's expression turned to a grin, but instead of taking the bait, she moved her other hand until it was cupping Lauren's face. Lauren pressed her cheek against the succubus' palm and turned her head slightly to lay a kiss on Bo's wrist, where her pulse hammered hard enough to feel. _So alive_! Bo just stared at Lauren with a soft smile and blazing eyes - brown, still, not electric blue, but intense all the same.

Finally, Lauren had to ask, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Bo replied slowly, "God, do you know how long I've wanted _this_? Come here."

It took Lauren a moment to realise what Bo meant, but when she did, she couldn't move fast enough. She settled on her knees, straddling Bo's thighs; the succubus made a noise low in the back of her throat and used both arms to pull Lauren hard against her, dragging the doctor's head down for another long, intense kiss.

They stayed like that for a time, kissing and pressing against each other. Lauren wanted to grind her hips on Bo's, to feel the friction it brought, but she was afraid that if she did, she might not be able to stop. Instead, she reached between them - deliberately brushing Bo's breasts and delighting in feeling how her nipples reacted to that light touch - found the sash to her robe and untied it in one quick motion.

Bo helped her shrug out of the light garment and dropped it onto the sofa beside them before running her hands up the bare portion of Lauren's arms and under the short sleeves of the top, over her shoulders, blunted fingernails leaving trails of goosebumps and making Lauren moan because she wanted _more_.

Her hands pulled up on Bo's t-shirt until she could slip under and run her own nails over the silky-soft skin of Bo's stomach. The muscles jumped and twitched under her fingertips and Bo let out an expletive, her hips jerking upward seemingly of their own accord.

_"Lauren,"_ she moaned and started to tug at Lauren's top. The doctor wanted nothing more than to let Bo undress her right there; if not for the size of her tiny couch, she would have just allowed it to happen. She took her hands away from Bo's skin reluctantly and forced herself to say what was on her mind.

"Bedroom. Bo," the succubus had taken her hands from Lauren's sleeves, wrapped her arms all the way around Lauren's waist, and was working her way under the hem of Lauren's pajama pants and shirt. "Bedroom. _Bo, bed -"_ she was interrupted as Bo covered her mouth with her own once more, and Lauren tried to fight the wall of desire that crashed over her. It was too much; Lauren gave in and she kissed Bo hard. She fumbled her hands between them, shifted her body a little and found the fly of Bo's pants. Bo's hips lifted again, but this time it was to help and Lauren easily undid the button and zip.

Bo's hands now went far below the hem of her pants and cupped her ass, kneading the skin and forcing Lauren to grind her lower half against one of Bo's thighs. They both let out an involintary, wordless cry. Bo moved fast; in a matter of moments she had wiggled enough to admit Lauren's questing fingers while she slid one hand down between _Lauren's_ thighs. The blonde gasped in surprise and then let out an ecstatic moan thrusting her entire body forward, impaling herself _and_ Bo. The succubus gasped and threw her head back. Lauren took the opportunity to lean in and nibble at Bo's exposed neck; she had alway loved how Bo tasted, loved the silkiness of Bo's skin under her lips and the way the succubus writhed in agonised pleasure when she did it.

And then Bo moved her fingers inside of Lauren, beginning a steady rhythm. Lauren cried out again, pleasure quickly overriding all other thoughts as they moved against oneanother.

It didn't take long for her, as keyed up as she had been since waking up earlier, and Bo _was_ really good with her hands. Lauren climaxed almost violently, shuddering and gasping and as if on queue, Bo came, groaning Lauren's name and digging her fingers into Lauren's ass hard enough to bruise.

It took a few long minutes for Lauren to come back from wherever the mind goes when it is wracked with mind-blowing pleasure. She felt her breathing slow and finally her eyes came back into focus. Her head was pillowed against Bo's shoulder and the succubus had leaned her cheek on Lauren's hair.

The human stirred, taking a deep breath and sitting back so that she could gaze at the beautiful woman upon whose lap she sat. Bo stared back at her, a satisfied and slightly smug look on her face. Lauren had to bite back a laugh.

"So," the human drawled, leaning down and kissing the Fae lightly on the lips, "do you think we might make it to my bed for round two?"


	9. Chapter 7B

Pairing: Bo/Lauren, Kenzi/OC

Disclaimer: These are not my characters, well, most of them aren't. I'm borrowing them for a good time, because my imagination won't rest until I do. ShowCase owns the main ones.

Summary: It's been three years since Nadia "woke up". Things have changed for everyone. And some things never do. Four dead bodies and a mystery for our girls to solve. Complete AU now, though it didn't start that way…

Author's Note: **Well, since both Nadia's death-by-Garuda-possession and Ciara's untimely demise (RIP Faerie Queen, I actually *liked* you!) by the same baddy, this has turned into a complete AU story. I hope that it continues to be a fun ride for all. Thank you all for your kind comments! I hope this is a fun for you to read as it is for me to write. Sorry updates take so long…**

It All Starts With...

Part VIIb: Round Two

Bo took Lauren's hand and allowed herself to be helped to her feet. Then the blonde began to lead her out of the living room and down a short hallway. She paused just outside of a darkened room to wrap her arms around Bo's neck, pulling her close and kissing her deeply. The succubus returned the embrace whole-heartedly, running her hands up Lauren's back and tangling her fingers in her luxurious hair. Lauren pressed her against the wall, plundering Bo's mouth with her own.

Gasping for breath Bo managed, "Bed?"

That made Lauren pause and glance nervously into the dark room. "B-bed?" She gulped down some air. Then her nervousness seemed to vanish once more and she grabbed the front of Bo's t-shirt and hauled her bodily into the room.

Lauren had to fight her sudden nerves as they neared her room. She hadn't had anyone in her bed since she had replaced the one she and Nadia had slept in together. The fact that the first person in said bedroom since Nadia had left was _Bo_ made her feel suddenly more skittish than she had in the living room. To get over it, Lauren kissed Bo with everything she had and Bo's responsive moan served to galvanize her. Hesitating only slightly once more, Lauren grabbed the front of the succubus' shirt and pulled her into the room. A few steps past the door she stopped and contemplated the lighting; she could only just make out Bo's silhouette in here. She wanted more light, wanted to _see_ Bo as she undressed her. Unfortunately, all she had was the lamp next to her bed and the overhead light. Well...

She kissed Bo once more, tenderly, nibbling on her lower lip and stroking her cheek; she pulled away reluctantly. "Don't move," she murmured and moved away.

To her credit Bo did as she was told, standing still in the darkness, wondering what Lauren could possibly be doing. Her unasked question was answered a few moments later as blinds were opened and the blonde was suddenly bathed in the pale light of the fading day. Her hair glowed, taking on the hues of the sun as it set, from soft pink to a slightly deeper shade of violet. Bo's breath caught in her throat at the site. _She is so damn beautiful_, she thought, _I'd almost forgotten that_.

Lauren turned to face the succubus and a wide smile spread across her face. Subtle colours from the approaching sunset played over her, bathing her in radiance. The white shirt she wore seemed to absorb the colour and make her look like she was wearing the light.

"My god you're beautiful," Lauren managed in a whisper. She crossed the room once more and pulled Bo to her for another searing kiss while her hand fumbled under the shirt to find Bo's bra-strap and unhook it. It took a couple of tries, much to her chagrin, but Bo wasn't paying attention; the succubus was much more interested in the silken skin being alternately kissed and nibbled by her.

Lauren paused and let her head fall to the side, giving Bo more to work with. She let herself revel in the feeling of it, in the way her heart raced and her blood started to slowly simmer once more.

"You okay?" Bo wondered, moving her head back to look into Lauren's eyes. The blonde smiled and in one swift movement she pulled both the t-shirt and the bra over Bo's head, dropping them on the floor. The look she gave the woman was nothing short of smouldering.

"_Oh yes_," Lauren husked out running her hands up Bo's flat stomach to her breasts, cupping them both and squeezing with enough pressure to make the whole of the succubus' body tremble.

"_Lauren_." She kissed the human doctor softly. Lauren moved her hands, wrapping her arms around Bo and pressing herself against her. Bo responded by deepening their kiss and then slipping her hands beneath Lauren's own top and breaking only long enough to haul it over her head and drop it onto the floor beside her own.

Lauren locked her lips onto Bo's neck, kissing and nibbling her way up to gently suck on Bo's earlobe. As she did, she pushed Bo back until her knees hit the edge of the bed and she sat abruptly. Lauren didn't stop there; instead, she straddled Bo once more and the other woman ecstatically buried her face between her breasts.

The feel of Bo's lips on her skin sent more shivers through Lauren and she arched her back, signalling her willingness for more of the same. The other woman's arms tightened around her waist, her lips quickly find purchase around one of the doctor's already hardening nipples. She sucked gently at first, then harder at Lauren's moan of encouragement. The blonde buried her fingers in Bo's soft dark tresses and held her mouth in place as her pleasure built higher. The warmth that had been building in her stomach suddenly travelled south, pooling between her thighs.

"God, Lauren, I've missed you," Bo managed when had to break her contact in order to fill her lungs. She looked up at the blonde, her eyes holding a look of tenderness that belied her heaving chest and the tight hold she had around Lauren's waist.

Stillness came to Lauren suddenly as her eyes focused on Bo's dark orbs, and she spent a few moments getting lost there. She was hit with a flash of memory, of the last time when she had looked into Bo and seen this level of trust; it had been just before the battle with the Garuda had taken place.

_"Hey," Bo had walked into the lab dressed for battle. She wore black leather everything and her hair had been pulled back into a high tail. At her side, somehow attached to her belt was the beautiful sword-cane that Trick had given to her for her birthday. She also had a dagger in an easy-draw sheath on her thigh and one at her ankle. Her eyes were focused and alert, her stance was an almost over-confident swagger. _

_She looked every inch the vision of a Champion. Lachlan had been right in his estimation of her. Not that Lauren had doubted it for a second._

_She had to clear her throat before she could respond. "Hey yourself. You…ahem...came for the venom?"_

_Bo smiled at her, a real smile, not the semi-hurt, sad thing that she usually showed when in Lauren's presence. It lit up her dark eyes and the human couldn't help but smile back. It was always like that with Bo – her infectious smile, the way she laughed – had always made Lauren feel good. _

_"Yes. But that can wait a minute," Bo replied, coming closer, invading Lauren's personal space. Lauren didn't move, could barely breathe because when she did, all she could smell was Bo and it was the most arousing scent in the world._

_"I wanted to apologise for the way I've been treating you," Bo began, "it hasn't been fair of me. You haven't exactly had an easy time of things, especially having to hide so much from Nadia."_

_Lauren swallowed hard. Bo's hand cupped her face. "I was going to be all adult here, but I may not come back from this the same or at all." The idea that Bo might not survive made Lauren sick. Seeing it in her eyes, Bo just smiled more and continued, her voice lower and huskier, "I am going to try to be better, Lauren, after this, I'm going to try to be the kind of friend you need me to be. It won't be easy - for either of us - especially after this." And having said her piece, Bo's mouth captured Lauren's in a gently passionate kiss that made Lauren's knees turn to water. Her hands moved to stroke Bo's face of their own accord as her tongue twined and slid against Bo's. Her moan of pleasure was answered by the succubus and she was pushed backwards into the counter. Her hands moved again, running over the leather on Bo's jacket, down her back and over her ass for a long moment before moving back up to rest on her shoulders._

_The kiss wound down as gently as it had started and it was then that Lauren had realised that she was crying. Bo caught a tear on her thumb as it grazed Lauren's cheek, lifted it away from her face and touched it to her slightly kiss-swollen lips._

_"Bo...I...I..." Lauren tried, but she couldn't find her voice, nor could she collect her thoughts enough to form a coherent sentence._

_Bo put a single forefinger softly against Lauren's lips._

_"Shhh." Her voice was quietly commanding, as she gazed into the blonde's light brown eyes with an expression of pure and undiluted trust and understanding. "I know. Nadia. The Ash. It's okay, Lauren. I just...needed you, right now. Okay?" _

_Lauren nodded slowly and swallowed again. Why did everything have to be so complicated? Bo was about to say something else when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Rolling her eyes, she gave Lauren an apologetic look and answered it. Almost immediately, her face fell and she went white. She stumbled backwards and would have fallen if Lauren hadn't caught her and kept her on her feet._

_"When?" The succubus finally asked. "O-Okay. Um..." her voice trailed off and for just a moment, Lauren was reminded of the bereft young woman that Bo had been the first time they met, so scared and unsure, begging Lauren to 'cure' her. Lauren tightened the hold she had around Bo's waist, lending her what strength she could offer, though she knew it wasn't much; it was enough. _

_Giving Lauren a grateful smile, Bo seemed to come back to herself and she straightened slowly._

_"Then we need to move the timetable up. I'm at the Compound now, getting the venom from Lauren. Meet me at the rendezvous point in half an hour. We're going in. Oh," her voice became acerbic, "and tell Vex to stop whining or I'm going to break his arm and shove it up his ass. Let's see him use his powers then." With that, she hung up the phone._

_"What is it?" Lauren asked her._

_"It has Trick," Bo said quietly._

_"Shit." Lauren swore and Bo looked up at her in surprise. Her smile returned just a little._

_"He's my grandfather, Lauren. He told me just yesterday." The terrified look that suddenly came over Bo's face was enough to make Lauren's hold tighten in a real hug. Anything to take that expression away. _

_Lauren blinked as some pieces fell into place. Her grandfather. It explained why Trick was so protective of Bo, even though he tried to hide it at first. And for that to be true, it meant that he was also...Aoife's _father_. _

_"Wow," was all she could think of to say. The implications were..._

_"Yeah. He's my family, Lauren. I have to save him." Bo's voice was hard and resolute. Lauren nodded and she reluctantly let go of the succubus, turning to the counter behind her and picked up a double-syringe with a single plunger. "Here. Use this. I...don't know how you will get that close, but...I _know_ you can do this, Bo."_

_"You've always believed in me, haven't you?" Bo asked quietly, taking the Naga venom and slipping it into sheathe on her wrist that would normally belong to a dagger. To test it, Bo flicked her wrist and the syringe slid smoothly into her palm. _

_"Perfect." She said, and then looked to Lauren again._

_"Without you this wouldn't be possible, Lauren, any of it. Thank you."_

_Lauren smiled. She didn't think she had done all that much. But Bo had never seen anything except the best in her, had always treated her with respect that she wasn't sure if she deserved._

_"And I _know_ that you will be successful. Go, Bo, get him back, save the Fae. I...Yes, I believe in you." _

_Bo gave her that same look then, full of faith and trust and naked longing. Then she turned and left._

_"Be safe." Lauren murmured after her._

_She had not seen Bo for several weeks after that, not until she had shown up at Lauren's door with Lachlan's proclamation of her freedom. He was gone by then, his job fulfilled, and the Light were planning another Stag Hunt. _

Now, Lauren saw that look again and it made her heart ache at the sweetness of it. Once upon a time, she and Bo had known each other well, despite the things that had come between them. Could she still read Bo like that? Could they have what situation had previously denied them?

Smiling radiantly, Lauren gave Bo another deeply passionate kiss before she backed off of her. Bo's fingers grasped at her hips, but she pulled away and stood. With another smile, she slowly slipped her pants down over her hips and let them fall around her ankles; she was wearing nothing beneath them.

Bo inhaled sharply at the sight of a completely naked Lauren and she drank in the sight, committing it to memory. The sun was setting completely now and she was awash in the colours of the city at night.

She walked back to the bed and held out her hands; unsure-but-game, Bo took them and was pulled to her feet. It only took a moment for her to figure out why when Lauren's hands found the clasp on her pants and unbuttoned them again. She helped a little, just wriggling to get the stiff material over her hips again. It should have been easier than it had been in the living room, but for some reason, they got stuck on her ass. Growling in frustration, she shoved hard and they finally fell to the floor. As an added bonus, her red satin bikini underwear went with them.

And then Lauren took her hand once more and led her back to the bed. They both lay down on their sides facing each other.

Bo moved first, reaching her arm out and pulling Lauren's entire body against hers. She found Lauren's mouth in short order and the blonde didn't hesitate to return the kiss. She slid against the other woman, insinuating her leg between Lauren's thighs and eliciting another moan from her. Bo's heart beat faster, her stomach churned in anticipation at the sound of it. She kissed Lauren with all the pent up emotions of three years of the succubus form of celibacy; she broke it long enough to draw breath and to roll them so that she was on top of Lauren, pinning her on her back. She stared down at the woman that she had cared for once upon a time, years ago, and time fell away.

It was as though three years had never happened. Staring down at Lauren, at the way her golden hair spread around her, seeing her eyes filled with desire, and feeling the way her body responded to her, Bo knew that she was done for. No matter how hurt she had once been or how long they had been apart, Lauren had always completed her in a way that nobody – not even Dyson – else ever could. The smell of her was like an intoxicant and if it hadn't been for what had happened earlier, Bo would have been fighting her other hunger. This was better, though, because she could concentrate on the woman and she could let her body say words that her mouth simply couldn't articulate. She let go of Lauren's arms where she had pinned them, dipped her head, and placed a very soft kiss over Lauren's heart. And then the blonde was tugging her hair gently and she let herself be guided back to the blonde's lips.

Lauren spent the next short eternity relearning what it was like to feel again. It was like her first time with Bo all over. They touched and kissed, petted, nibbled, tasted, and held each other. Lauren lost count of how many times they brought each other to climax. If not for the events of the day, Lauren was sure it would have gone on for even longer - she found that instead of subsiding, her passion for Bo and for Bo's body only increased.

Several hours later they lay in a tangle of limbs and blankets trying to catch their breaths. Lauren's arms and legs felt too heavy to move, the rest of her body tingling with fading endorphins. She knew that she was grinning like a fool and couldn't stop.

Bo had to admit that she hadn't expected _this_ when she had come to see Lauren, though a part of her had hoped. Now, as she lay with her head on the blonde's shoulder, eyes closed and chest heaving like a bellows, she was glad that she had taken the time to make sure that Lauren was truly alright. Though her muscles were moving sluggishly now - even a succubus had her limits when it came to marathon sex, especially after three years of self-imposed limitation - she draped an arm across Lauren's mid-section and threw a leg over the human's to keep her from going anywhere. She opened heavy eyelids and looked up at Lauren's face in profile.

Her eyes were closed, too, but she wore a smirk that filled Bo with a strange feeling of pride and tenderness. _She_ had done that, put that smile there; it was amazing to see.

"I'm so glad you're here," the human murmured, voice gravelly with fatigue.

"Me, too," Bo managed. Her arm tightened around Lauren and she settled herself more comfortably.

"G'night, Bo." Lauren let out a pleased sigh.

"'Night, Lauren." Bo responded. Sleep claimed them both in moments.


	10. Chapter 8

It All Starts With...

Part VIII: A Day to Remember

"I don't see what you are so nervous about," Kenzi quipped from where she was sprawled out on one of the beds. She had found some kind of popsicle and was happily sucking it into a point. "It's _Lauren_. You could wear a burlap bag, sandals, and goofy glasses and she wouldn't care."

From her pose in front of the full length mirror, Bo looked back over her shoulder with a smile. Kenzi might be exaggerating, but Bo appreciated the sentiment. But she wanted to look really nice for Lauren on their first official date tonight.

Especially after the amazing day they had shared.

Bo turned back to the mirror, holding one black dress up before dismissing it as too safe. She wanted to _wow_ her date, to make Lauren _want_ her even more. She picked up another one from the pile already on the bed. It was long, a red so dark it looked black until the wearer stood in the right light. It was strapless and made of some kind of really heavy material that clung just right to all of Bo's curves. It also had a thigh-high slit up one side for ease of movement, and a back so low it was almost indecent. Bo had worn it only once, to the crowning of the new Ash, where she had been presented as _The Isa-Bo, Champion of __**All**__ Fae_. Angelica had later admitted to being very smitten with Bo on that occassion, mostly because of the dress. Bo had made sure it went to the back of her closet. She had only brought it with her on the off chance that she might be obligated to meet the local Fae government. So far, so good on that account. Now the dress seemed to be calling to her...

"Too fancy," Kenzi commented from the bed. Bo shot a look of confusion over her shoulder so Kenzi bit the point off of her snack and continued, "You don't need to be super fancy for a first date. Unless Lauren told you to dress up?" Bo shook her head.

_Lauren stood with Bo in her cramped foyer, arms around Bo's waist. Her head was tilted up and her light brown eyes were glittering mischievously._

_"No, I'm not telling you where we are going tonight, it would ruin the surprise," the blonde told Bo._

_"But, Lauren, how will I know what to wear?" Bo pleaded. She stuck out her lower lip a little and gave the doctor her best puppy dog eyes. _

_Lauren laughed and leaned up to capture the lip gently between her teeth. She ran her tongue over the sensitive flesh and Bo moaned._

_Lauren grinned when she pulled away. "No." She said firmly._

_"Oh you are a _terrible_ tease," Bo responded, running her own tongue over her lip. She couldn't help but smile, though._

_"Oh I could do much _worse_," Lauren purred, her fingers scooting under the hem of Bo's shirt and grazing the soft warm skin there. "But, I need to get ready for tonight...and so do you." She removed her hand from under Bo's shirt, much to the succubus' dismay; she missed Lauren's touch as soon as it was gone. _

_"I still don't know what to wear," Bo protested._

_"Wear whatever you like," was her reply, given with a smirk and a wink. "As long as you're clothed."_

_That made Bo pause and it was her turn to smirk, "You liked me well enough without them last night...and this morning..."_

_Lauren full out grinned, showing teeth and the sight of that look made Bo's heart leap in her chest; Lauren had a lovely smile._

_"Yes well, the place I have in mind for tonight requires clothes."_

_"Damn." Bo muttered. She reached up and cupped Lauren's face, running her thumb over her cheekbone. She leaned in and gave the human a long, slow kiss. Then she stepped back with a sigh of regret. _

_Lauren opened the door to her apartment with another bright smile. Bo stepped into the hallway._

_"I'll see you soon." Lauren told her in a low, husky voice. She gave a little wave and then closed the door._

Soon.

Bo sighed and put the dress aside with others she had already decided against. Kenzi was right. There was one left.

This one had been a gift from Hale last Christmas. It was a simple dress; narrow shoulder straps, a neckline low enough to show just enough of her cleavage without being slutty, a bodice-like midsection that accentuated her toned stomach and then flared over her hips and flowed into a lovely skirt that swished pleasantly over her thighs when she walked. It wasn't an overly long skirt, but it wasn't all that short, either. And the colour of it was sort of fluid, melting from a sort of amber-gold to a deep green and back again, depending on how she moved. Green had never been her preferred colour, but somehow this dress had gotten her more amorous attention than most others in her wardrobe.

She held the dress up for Kenzi to see and the younger woman promptly grinned and gave her the thumbs up. "Oh yeah, that's the _one_! Oh Hale is such a clothes genius sometimes!" Kenzi enthused.

Bo held up the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. Yeah, this was it; Bo had brought some nice flats that went well with this dress. And best of all, it was the last thing Lauren would expect her to wear.

"You're absolutely right, Kenz. What would I do without you?" Bo put the dress back on the hanger and hung it on the towel bar in the bathroom before she hurriedly put all of her other outfits back into the closet. She checked the clock and frowned.

"I need to shower and get ready. I hope I have time to get ready."

"Chill, Bo-Bo. If Hotpants shows early, she and I will just have a little chat. No worries." Kenzi gave her a sly grin.

"You'll be nice to her, right?" Bo asked, pleading in her voice.

"I know how important she is to you. I will be on my best behaviour. Cross my heart." Kenzi replied sincerely. "Go get ready for your first date in like a million years."

Bo rolled her eyes, but she had to give Kenzi a quick hug. "You're important to me, too, Kenz. You know that, right?"

"'Course I do, silly Succupants." Kenzi hugged her best friend back before swatting her on the rear end and commanding, "Go."

Bo laughed aloud at just one more of Kenzi's nicknames for her and went into the bathroom to get ready for her first official date with Lauren.

Kenzi watched Bo's retreating form until the bathroom door shut, then she turned around with a loud sigh and went into the main living area to wait for Lauren to arrive. She would probably be early, knowing her, but that was okay because Kenzi did want to talk to her.

She _would_be nice, she had promised Bo. She just wanted to make sure that Lauren wasn't playing any games with Bo's heart, the way she had last time. Kenzi had grown enough over the years to be able to see that the doc had changed; she just needed to make sure that her intentions concerning Bo were entirely honourable.

Lauren received a chilly welcome from the receptionist at Bo's hotel. She wondered if Ciara knew the staff at this place hated humans so much. Probably not if she had arranged for both Bo _and_ Kenzi to stay. She made a mental note to tell her friend about it.

At the front desk she had given the frosty woman her name and Bo and Kenzi's room number. She had sneered at Lauren, turning her nose up and pointed to the elevator without another word. Lauren rolled her eyes, but thanked her politely and walked across the lobby to the set of lifts on the far side.

She looked at herself in the mirror at the rear of the elevator for what seemed like the hundredth time. She hoped that Bo liked her outfit, though most of it was hidden under her coat because Zurich got chilly this time of day, even after the beautiful weather of earlier that day.

She smiled at her reflection, thinking about the day she had spent with Bo.

_She awoke earlier than she expected to, though it was later than normal. Her brain came awake sluggishly and the first thing she noticed was a heavy warmth draped across her chest, abdomen, and legs. Confused, she tried to move and heard a small groan just beside her ear. _

_Her eyes flew open as she turned her head on her pillow to find the source of the noise. Dark hair fanned out on her shoulder and chest, warm breath tickled her neck. Her eyes panned downward to see Bo's head resting comfortably, nuzzling into her neck._

_Seeing Bo caused Lauren to wake fully and memories of the night before flashed to the forefront of her mind. She became acutely aware that she was still naked and so was the woman in her arms._

_Her breathing quickened, but she got it under control quickly. It had been a long time since she had woken up in bed with someone; it had been even longer since it was Bo. Well, come to think on it, she'd _never_ actually woken up in bed with Bo. Both times they had shared a bed, Bo had been awake and out of reach when Lauren came to. This was new altogether and Lauren took a few minutes to simply enjoy herself._

_She breathed in the familiar, calming scent of the succubus and ran her fingers lightly over Bo's skin. It felt so good and so _right_ to be there that Lauren again wondered how she ever could have left Bo in the first place. Hadn't it always felt like this? Of course it had, she had just been too pre-occupied with being a slave and trying to bring Nadia out of her coma. _How long_, she wondered,_ would I have stayed if Bo had never given me the key to Nadia's 'illness'_? _Until I outlived my usefulness, most likely_. That wasn't a pleasant thought, so Lauren put it out of her mind and focused on the now. On Bo, who had started to wake now and was moving to roll away from her._

_Not liking that one bit, Lauren groaned this time and tried to tighten her arm where it lay around Bo's waist. The motion caused the succubus to freeze for several moments. Then, as though she finally woke up enough to realise where she was, Bo made a soft sound of contentment and settled against Lauren once more._

_"Good morning," Lauren greeted her in a soft voice._

_Bo's arm tightened around her middle and she felt warm lips press against her skin. "Good morning. Yes, it really is, isn't it?" Came a sleepy-sounding reply. More lips pressed to her skin, across her shoulder to her neck. Lauren made a pleased little humming sound and played her finger lightly along Bo's spine. _

_"Mmm." Bo levered herself up onto her elbow and gazed down at Lauren, adoration in her eyes. Lauren returned the look and neither woman spoke for long moments._

_And then Mother Nature called; Lauren sighed and shifted, giving Bo an apologetic smile before she slid from the bed to answer._

The lift _ding_ed and the doors slid open. Lauren exited, got her bearings, and then started down the hall, glancing at suite numbers as she did. It didn't take long to find the right door, but when she did, Lauren checked the time and hesitated. She was more than 30 minutes early. _Way to seem over-eager, Doctor Lewis_, she chided herself. She shook off the negativity. This was Bo, after all; she probably expected Lauren to be a little early at least. Gathering herself and wondering why she was so nervous suddenly, Lauren raised her hand to knock on the door when it was flung open and she was faced with a grinning Kenzi.

"Hiya Doc. Little early?" The smaller woman asked.

Lauren couldn't help the flush of embarrassment that crept up to her cheeks. "Um, yeah. Sorry." She managed to say without stuttering.

"Well, better early to the party than fashionably late, I always say." Kenzi stood aside and motioned for Lauren to enter. She did, looking around at the large room.

Kenzi shut the door. "Succulicious is still in the bathroom getting prettied up for you, so why don't you take off your coat and have a seat?"

"Oh, um, thank you." Lauren unbuttoned her jacket and let it slide from her shoulders. Kenzi caught it and very gently hung it over a chair. It took Lauren a second to understand Kenzi's sudden shift in behaviour towards her. When she got it, she sighed and sat down on the edge of the couch, crossed her legs, and folded her hands in her lap. She waited. She had been expecting this.

Kenzi took one look at Lauren on the couch and grinned. Already with the defensive body language; she guessed the doc was prepared for this little encounter. Or so she thought.

Kenzi sat down on the sofa, too, facing Lauren in as relaxed a fashion as she could. She smiled at the doctor and Lauren smiled politely back.

"So," the younger woman began, "A date?" She raised one eyebrow. "Aren't you doing things a little backwards?"

Lauren hadn't been expecting that question. It took her a moment to recover. When she did, it was with a rather sheepish smile. "I know. But we've never really done things by the book, Bo and I. If this really a chance to start over, I want to do it right...ish."

"Ish?"

Lauren grinned this time, remembering. "After last night, I-"

"-No, I don't want to know." Kenzi interrupted. "I had to stop Bo from giving a blow-by-bump description earlier." She rolled her eyes expressively. "And I got to hear all about _today_, too."

Lauren couldn't stop herself from laughing at Kenzi's contrived annoyance. "Yes, we did have fun today," she agreed.

"Believe me, I _know_."

_"And just what time is it, young lady?" Kenzi demanded as Bo came through the door to their suite. It was only about four in the afternoon, but Kenzi hadn't seen her best friend all day and felt a like being a pest. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, putting on her best frown._

_Bo just smiled at her and shut the door, moving quickly into the bedroom, disappearing into the closet._

_Kenzi followed at her heels and quipped, "Coming back in the same clothes you wore the day before? _Massive_ walk of shame, even for you."_

_Bo just hummed and searched through the clothes that someone (Kenzi) had hung up and started to extract every dress she had brought with her._

_"Bo-Bo?" No response, just more humming. A little more miffed, Kenzi grabbed the succubus' shoulder and shook it a little. "Bo!"_

_Finally, her friend turned around, blinking in surprise._

_"Kenz? When did you get here?"_

_"What? Are you _drunk_?" Bo blinked at her in confusion. "Damn, did the doc really frak your brains out? I didn't think that was _possible_."_

_"Wha-? What are you talking about?" Bo looked around her, still out of sorts. "Why are we in the closet?"_

_Kenzi just stared in amusement at her best friend. "Are you okay?"_

_"I...yeah, I'm fine, Kenzi. Um... Seriously, though, what are we doing in here?"_

_"Why don't you come out and tell me what has you so...twitter pated?"_

_Bo raised her eye-brow at that, but she followed Kenzi back into the room. Kenzi retrieved one of the delicious ice-pops she had discovered on her own outing today. They sat on a bed and Kenzi gave the succubus her full attention._

_"So, I take it that things went...well...with Lauren last night?" She finally asked when Bo was not forthcoming with info._

_"Huh? Oh," Bo grinned, "yeah. Thank you, by the way. For getting her address."_

_"I knew you wouldn't be satisfied that she was really okay until you saw her yourself. I know you, Bo." Kenzi replied. She took a bite of her ice-pop and nearly moaned, it was _so_ good. "So I'm assuming that since you didn't come back last night, you and she musta' kissed and made up?" The younger woman pressed. She didn't want to know details, really, she just wanted to know that her friend was going to be alright._

_She did not expect Bo to launch into a narrative of the night before and Kenzi had finally been forced to tackle the other woman and put a hand over her mouth to get her to stop talking._

_Laughing and rolling her eyes, she said, "Well, that partially explains things, but it doesn't tell me where you've been all day and why you practically dove into the closet without even saying hello."_

_"Oh. Today. I'm sorry for being gone all day. It's just that...we went to breakfast and then spent the day just sort of hanging out." She then proceeded to tell Kenzi about all of the places Lauren had taken her - from the little bakery for breakfast pastries and coffee, to a walk in the park after sight-seeing, where they sat under a tree to share Italian gelato. Bo's eyes got a far off dreamy look and Kenzi had to snap her fingers to bring the succubus back to the here and now._

_Bo blinked rapidly and frowned, but finished her tale by telling Kenzi about a jewellery shop that Lauren had taken her to run by, of course, Swartalves, a race of Fae known for their affinity with metals. _

_"Okay, so you and the Doc had a nice time together," Kenzi said when Bo completed her story. "That doesn't explain why you practically assaulted your wardrobe as soon as you got here. And ignored me in the process." Truthfully, Kenzi was secretly pleased that Bo and Lauren were bumping uglies again, though she worried about the eventual fallout when the case was over and they went home. For now, seeing that silly smile on her bestie's face made her smile internally. On the outside, she put on a little pout and said, "You left be all by myself in this strange place! I wandered the streets alone - Hey!" She broke off with a giggle as Bo poked her in the side and then proceeded to pounce upon her and tickle her until Kenzi begged her to stop. When they had both stopped laughing, Bo rolled over and hugged the smaller woman hard._

_"What was that about?" Kenzi asked when they had separated._

_"Thank you, Kenz. For being you." Bo told her. "If not for you, last night and today probably wouldn't have happened. I'm so sorry for not telling you what was going on."_

_"No worries, BoBo. I do get it. You and Hotpants have unfinished business." Kenzi smiled gently. "I know you gotta do this."_

_Bo grinned. "She asked me out. Tonight. On a date."_

_"A date? Wow." Kenzi was impressed by Lauren's forwardness. The doctor she had known three years ago would never have been that brave. _

_"I-I-Is that okay?" Bo gave Kenzi big brown puppy-dog eyes. Kenzi sighed and rolled her eyes._

_"Bo, it's fine. I am a big girl now and perfectly capable of finding something to do _without_ you." She said._

_Bo hesitated, and then said, "I know. But the case..."_

_"The case is on hiatus until we hear otherwise from Ciara." Kenzi reminded her. "Oh, hang on!" She exclaimed. She got up from the bed and disappeared into the living area for a few moments. She came back brandishing an envelope with Bo's name on it. _

_At Bo's questioning look, Kenzi gave her the item and replied, "It's a little gift from our client."_

_Curious, the succubus opened the envelope to find a card with gold lettering saying _Thank You_ in a flowing hand. She opened the notecard to find a flat plastic black VISA card with her name on it on one side and a short note on the other. The note read: _

Bo,

This card is for you, obviously. I've made sure that you have an account open with the company. Use this card for _anything_ you feel the need to purchase. Your final payment for this case will also be added when all is said and done. Have some fun, and then have some for me as well.

Ciara

_Bo blinked and detached the credit card from the notecard. "How much is on this?" She wondered aloud._

_"A lot. I'm going with a lot." Kenzi said, grinning. "I got one, too."_

_Bo stared at the plastic rectangle thoughtfully, turning it over in her fingers. Finally, she shrugged and added it to her wallet. She had issues with spending money that she didn't feel she had earned, but given that she _had_ almost died a day ago, maybe she had earned this. And she _was_ going on a date with Lauren...Bo glanced at a clock and blinked rapidly. _

_"Oh shit, Kenzi, what am I gonna wear?" The succubus jumped up from the bed and started towards the closet again. _

_Kenzi followed with alacrity and made it around in front of her, hands out and pressed against Bo's chest to slow her down._

_"Hold up, succuface. Slow down. How long do you have?"_

_"Three hours! That's not enough time!"_

_From there, Kenzi had taken a few minutes to calm her friend and then organise her dresses so that she could try them on as fast as possible.  
><em>*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*_  
><em>"Is this okay?" Lauren asked. "I mean, us going out tonight."

"Why are you asking me? I'm not interested in getting in Bo-Bo's pants."

"Kenzi!" Lauren blushed just a little, "That isn't what tonight is about."

"Really, Doc? You _don't_ think tonight is going to end with a certain bestie of mine and your lovely self bumpin' uglies?"

Lauren frowned at Kenzi's bluntness for just a moment before she broke into a grin. She looked towards the other room and sighed. Then she gave her attention back to the younger woman.

"This more important than just getting Bo into my bed. I want...I know that what I did three years ago hurt her. I've apologised and I'm pretty sure she's forgiven me, but I...I have all that time to make up for. I should never have left." She said the last part very quietly.

"No, you shouldn't have. Bo isn't the same person you left behind, Lauren." Kenzi returned her gaze, but her silvery-blue eyes were not unkind. "She...it's hard to explain. For a little while she was so angry, she got into some trouble with the Dark, but Trick helped her a lot and it was with her help that he and the new Ash and the Morrigan drew up new Laws. But, she's fragile. She hasn't tried to have a relationship with anyone and she hasn't brought anyone back to the clubhouse, even for a snack, in the three years since you've been gone. Dyson tried - he got his love back just before the fight with the Garuda - but she told him that if he had maybe acted like a grown up before and hadn't shut her out like he did, he might've had a chance.

Instead, she told him that he should talk to Ciara, apologise for being an ass, and beg someone as _good_ as she is to take him back. You can guess what _he_ said to that, I bet. They're friends again, now, but only that. She shut off the part of herself that wanted a normal relationship and that was hard for all of us to see.

"Bo has such a huge heart, but she shut off the part she didn't need for our cases. I want you to know this, Lauren, because to see the way Bo smiles when she talks about you, about the time you spent together, it's like she might have finally opened up again. It's for _you_, because of _you_. And it is so good to see it. I am just afraid of what will happen when we go home."

Lauren froze. "I-I-I hadn't been thinking that far ahead, really." She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. It was terrible to think that Bo had been alone and lonely for three years - because of her.

"I know. Neither has Bo. Just...do things right this time around." Kenzi finished with a raised eyebrow.

Not knowing exactly what to say, Lauren could only nod.

"Good girl." Kenzi actually reached out and patted her knee before she got to her feet. "I'm gonna go see what's keeping her faeness."

"You don't have to check anything, Kenz." Bo's voice broke in suddenly, "I'm right here."

**I am sooooo sorry for being away for so long. RL can suck hard, sometimes. Just wanted to say a big ole THANK YOU to everyone who has r&r and a huge shout to spylv for pestering me until I got this one done. I will *try* to post sooner than three months for the next chapter, promise. Hope this one didn't disappoint. **


	11. Chapter 8b

It All Starts With...

Part VIIIb: A Night Out

Lauren turned her head at the sound of Bo's voice and her breath caught in her throat at the sight that greeted her. The woman was a vision of perfection from head to foot, though from the way Bo was nervously wringing her hands, anyone could tell she didn't feel it.

Lauren stood up slowly, taking in the long dark tresses that Bo had brushed to a glossy shine and then curled slightly at the ends, the dress that seemed to be both green and gold was modest for Bo and entirely sexy because of it, and the flat-heeled sandals that had golden straps that wound around her leg to mid-calf finished off the ensemble. She wasn't wearing much make-up - just a little eye shadow to compliment her dark eyes and what looked like tinted lip gloss. Lauren felt her heart stutter when Bo looked at her and gave a shy smile.

"Hi," the doctor finally found her voice and greeted the other woman. "Bo, you look beautiful."

Kenzi wolf-whistled in agreement; not that Bo didn't always look great, but when she really put some effort into it, she was usually beating the masses off with a stick. Kenzi was both glad and a little sorry that she wouldn't be there to witness whatever happened tonight; she hoped Bo would give her the 'best of' reel at a later date. Minus any intimate details of Lauren's anatomy, of course.

"Thanks. I...You...Wow." Was all Bo could think of as she raked Lauren from head to foot with her eyes, drinking in the sight of her and trying to commit it to memory.

Lauren smiled and smoothed her hands over her own black skirt and tailored deep blue silk blouse. She had made sure that her hair fell in waves down her back, pulled up and away from her face and neck by two faux-ivory hair combs studded with dark blue gems; they had been gifts from Ciara the first Christmas she had spent alone in Zurich. Her boots had two inch heels, were ankle high, and made of the softest black leather Lauren had known - another gift from Ciara more recently. The Faery woman really liked to buy gifts for her friends and family; she was one of the most generous Fae that Lauren had ever met.

"So," Kenzi piped up, "where are you crazy kids headed tonight?"

Lauren opened her mouth to respond, stopped as suddenly, and gave Bo a reproachful glare.

"Nice try," she said to the succubus. Bo walked across the room to stand beside her, a pout on her lips, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. Lauren turned back to Kenzi and spoke again, "I take it she put you up to that?"

Kenzi shrugged, but the smirk that pulled at one corner of her mouth was a dead giveaway.

"I'm still not telling you where we're going." Lauren informed Bo with a smirk of her own. Bo let out a sigh and finally crossed the room. The smile she gave Lauren was warm and guileless.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," she said. "Am I at least dressed appropriately?"

Lauren's smile widened to a full on grin as she reached out a hand and gently laid it on the succubus' shoulder. "Yes. I..." she replied, voice trailing off as her fingertips dipped low along Bo's collarbone. "You look stunning." She finally managed to say.

Bo's breathing hitched at the touch of Lauren's warm hands on her skin. Without conscious thought, she stepped closer to the blonde. Their eyes met and Lauren's hand flattened against Bo's chest. Desire bloomed in moments, the doctor's aura flaring like a neon sign.

Lauren took a step closer, her eyes on Bo's lips, valiantly fighting for control of her emotions. A very large part of her wanted to say screw the date and drag her into the next room.

"Hey! At least wait 'till you're somewhere _I'm_ not!" Luckily, they had Kenzi; she was better than a cold shower.

Bo turned a glare on Kenzi who just raised an eyebrow and made a 'gag me' face. Lauren chuckled and forced herself to step back and dropped her hand to her side. "She's right. We need to get going, Bo."

The succubus let out a disappointed sigh, but nodded and smiled again. She _could_ do this, could be go on a date and keep her hands to herself. Mostly. She reached for Lauren's hand and twined their fingers together, much like they had on their meanderings earlier. That got her another warm smile from the doctor and a roll of eyes from Kenzi.

They started to walk towards the door when Bo stopped abruptly and looked back at her best friend. "Kenz, are you sure?"

"Ugh! You two are so sweet you're giving me cavities. Just go, so I can go brush my teeth." The young woman's smile was gentle, though, for the both of them and Lauren was grateful once again. She squeezed Bo's hand and they walked to the door. Lauren stopped to pick her coat up and Bo, being so chivalrous, helped her into it, and then got her own jacket from where it had been dropped onto the table earlier.

"I uh…Kenz, I'm not sure if – when we'll be back, so…Don't wait up, 'kay?" Bo grinned over her shoulder. She and Lauren exited the room and the heavy door closed solidly behind them.

"Yeah, as if I _ever_ would. I _do_ have other things I can do." Kenzi grumbled, shaking her head. A large part of her was glad that Bo and Lauren were going out, as it gave her the whole of the suite to herself. She had been thinking all day about giving the giant sunken tub a go, because after the events of yesterday, she thought she might deserve a little pampering.

On the other hand, she was in a new town and it was getting later. She had two new wigs to try out _and_ a black diamond _VISA_ of her very own. Who knew how much that card was attached to? Ciara was, like, a billionaire, the last time the younger woman had checked. She wasn't sure how much she and Bo had earned so far on this little gig – Bo had mentioned that Ciara had said she would pay five times as much as their standard fees. That wasn't really all that much, but Kenzi had learned something of the Fae in all her time with Bo – no matter what, most of them held honour in the highest regard. As of yesterday, Bo had nearly died and there was now some kind of legit _monster_ on the loose. Ciara had promised Bo her protection and had very nearly failed - something that had to be weighing heavily on the Faerie woman. For someone with money, who had always had a little bit of a crush on Bo if Kenzi had read her right, to give them a gift such as this meant little to nothing, but it could go a long way to assuaging some of her guilt. The rest came from giving them the next few days to recover – while still keeping them on the clock. They might not need to take on another client for _months_ after this. Assuming they lived through it.

Getting up from the couch, Kenzi checked the clock and made her decision. There was more than enough time for a good soak before she got dressed up and found out what the nightlife of Zurich had to offer. Hopefully, the internet would hold the names of some good clubs.

The ride down to the lobby was done in comfortable silence. Bo continued to hold Lauren's hand, fingers intertwined. Her thumb rubbed small circles on the back of her hand. Warmth filled the doctor at the small gesture; it reminded her of their walk in the park earlier that day. For the first time since she had come to Zurich with Ciara, Lauren had felt completely happy, walking hand-in-hand with Bo.

They ignored the fae in the lobby as they strode through, even if they could both hear the whispers. Outside there was a taxi waiting and Lauren gestured to it with a smile. Because Lauren was a lady, Bo opened the car door and held it while the blonde slid inside, then followed her lead. Lauren gave instructions to the driver in German, and then settled back against the seat as the cab pulled into traffic.

"So…" Bo began, "where are we going?"

Lauren laughed and shook her head, "You are terrible, you know that? Now I know why Kenzi went to such great lengths to keep your birthday party a secret. If you had even the slightest inkling, you would have hounded her for details until she gave in, wouldn't you?"

Bo shrugged, grinning. She raised her arm and slid it across Lauren's shoulders, pulling the woman close. Lauren sighed happily and melted into the embrace. God this felt good! She only hoped that Bo liked where they were going.

"C'mere," Bo's free hand cupped Lauren's jaw, dragging her head up so that her own lips could capture the blonde's. Lauren sighed contentedly through her nose, kissing the succubus back with pleasure. She had wanted to do this since she had seen her in the hotel room. The kiss was slow and undemanding, it was simple and warm and it wound down deliciously. Lauren pulled back first, a sappy smile plastered on her face.

"I've wanted to do that since I saw you up there," Bo confessed as her fingers whispered over Lauren's shoulder.

"I did, too. Is this weird? Do you want to just go to my place?" Part of Lauren wanted Bo to say yes, that going to her apartment would work just fine; a larger part, though, still thought that this date was something that they both needed to do, since it had never happened before.

Bo seriously considered Lauren's offer. She was a succubus, after all, and she knew exactly what Lauren was offering. She wanted that, but she had also wanted so much more from the beautiful blonde for so long that she smiled and shook her head. "No, this isn't weird. I think we need it."

Glad that Bo's thoughts echoed her own unspoken ones, Lauren's nerves started to calm. Bo noticed immediately when Lauren's aura, which had been sizzling and spiking, seemed to even out. Good; Bo relaxed, too and they made small talk until the cab came to a stop.

Lauren paid the driver with a smile and they got out of the car in front of two very old-looking, very dark buildings. Bo frowned when Lauren took her hand once more and led her down a narrow alley _between_ the buildings lit by a single light at the far end. As they got closer, Bo thought she could hear skirls of music and she noticed that below the single light there was a heavy wooden door. There wasn't a handle or knob for the door, but Lauren took something out of her coat pocket and passed it over the place where a knob would have been. Bo heard a loud _click_ and the door opened suddenly. Music that reminded Bo very much of the kind Trick played at the Dal floated out into the night and Lauren took her hand again, leading her inside.

"Welcome to _The Alamanni_, better known as 'The Tavern' by just about everyone." Lauren said, smiling as she saw Bo's stance ease and a grin slowly convert the succubus' face. The Tavern, when Ciara had first brought her here, had reminded Lauren very much of the Dal and had made her a little less homesick. The more she came, the more she liked this place and tonight was her favourite night of the week. She wasn't going to tell Bo that, though. Not yet, anyway.

They went down a flight of three wooden stairs that took them down into the bar proper. Bo looked around her with a smile. The Tavern was set up a little differently than the Dal, but the ambiance immediately put Bo at ease as she and Lauren made their way amongst tables and chairs to the bar. The music that pumped out was about the same as Trick played – he often called it Bo's musical heritage – and though she didn't hate it, she was so much more of a rock n' roll girl.

At the bar, Lauren knocked three times on the well-polished wooden surface to get the attention of the bartender who had their back to the two women and hadn't seen them enter. Bo looked around and was surprised to find so few people in the place at this hour, but then, people seemingly came and went from the Dal at all hours of the night and day, back home. Maybe this place would be hopping soon.

The bartender – who turned out to be a pleasantly plump woman with shortish steel-grey hair and bright yellow eyes – broke into a grin when she saw Lauren. Lauren smiled back, said something in German and the bartender nodded emphatically. Nodding once more, they turned to find a place to sit.

Lauren led Bo through the maze of tables and chairs once more, to a small table near what could only be a dance floor. Before they sat, they helped each other out of their jackets, and then Bo held out Lauren's chair for her. She was rewarded with a sweet smile from the blonde as she sat and allowed the succubus to do so as well. They held hands across the table, fingers woven together. They simply gazed at one another, lost in thought. A few minutes of companionable silence later and the bartender – who introduced herself as Nica - came to the table carrying a laden tray.

From the tray she took a white candle in an ornate silver holder and placed it in the centre of the table, then lit the wick by simply touching it with her finger. Then she sat a very full flagon of ale in front of each woman. As a final touch, she added folded black cloth napkins and a set of utensils to the set up. She smiled widely.

"I will bring you food when you are ready, yes? Good." And with that, she took her tray and bustled back across to the bar.

They picked up their mugs of ale and each took a small sip. Bo blinked at the taste and took a much larger quaff. More flavours than she could begin to name danced over her tongue and she forced herself to set the drink down before she started chugging it. Lauren chuckled at her from across the table. "I was pleasantly surprised, too. I didn't know beer could taste that good."

Bo answered with a grin and another long drink. "Don't tell him I said this, but Trick needs better beer," she said after she swallowed.

Lauren's smile deepened. "I bet I could get Nica to ship a small supply to you." She instantly regretted it, the moment the words were out of her mouth. She hadn't meant for that come up tonight. Even after Kenzi's talk, Lauren was determined to have a good time and worry about _that_ later.

Luckily, Bo either didn't understand the comment or she ignored it; she laughed instead, shaking her head. "Kenzi would drink it all."

Recovering quickly, Lauren returned, "Not if you hide it under your bed."

They bantered back and forth for a short while, drinking as they went. Their beer was gone in no time and Lauren made to get more, Bo stopped her. "Allow me," she said, grinning and picking up the steins. She turned to walk away, turned back around, bent over and gave Lauren a brief kiss. Lauren smiled as they drew apart, looking up into Bo's big brown eyes, getting just a little lost in them. The succubus straightened very slowly and grinned. "I'll be right back, beautiful."

Lauren watched her walk across the room to the bar; her breath hitched a little as she did so. It has been a long time since she had that reaction to just watching someone walk. She loved the way the material of the skirt moved against Bo's thighs in time to her swaying hips. Lauren's hands twitched as she felt a rush of desire at the mere thought of running her fingers over the smooth, warm skin of Bo's hips, pulling that amazing body against her own.

She felt suddenly very warm and across the room, Bo turned from the bar, a smirk gracing her lips and one eyebrow raised. Lauren bit her lip and closed her eyes, telling herself _firmly_ to get it together. Tonight was supposed to be a real first date and if she did not calm down, it was going to rile Bo up. As much fun and as mind blowlingly amazing as the consequences of _that_ would be, it was not the point to this. The point was to give them both some semblance of normality…before the mind blowing part. And an awkward first date in a bar/pub was, in Lauren's opinion, the most normal she could come.

When Bo came back to the table, Nica followed with a tray. Bo smirked again at Lauren as she sat down and then waited while Nica set three shot glasses in front of each of them, a small plastic dish of limes, a shaker of salt, and a small stack of napkins. Then, she poured a light amber liquid into each of the six shot glasses, returned the bottle to her tray and set down the steins again, along with a bottle of water for each of them. The smile she gave them as she turned to leave was soft and almost motherly.

The doctor looked down at the shots of tequila in front of her. "Bo, mixing alcohol like this isn't exactly a good idea, you know." She said.

Bo just smiled. "Since when is the big-bad Doctor Lewis afraid of a little tequila? It's your favourite, isn't it?" The brunette looked slightly concerned that she had gotten it wrong.

Lauren smiled to reassure her that she was correct. To make sure that Bo understood, she slipped her foot out of her boot and ran slowly up and down Bo's calf. She felt the muscles twitch and Bo bit her lip.

"I haven't had a single drop of tequila since before I left to come here. Nadia didn't drink anything but wine and to be honest, whenever I thought about it, all I could think of was you and that seemed a bad combination." The doctor told her. "I'm surprised that you remembered."

"Of course I did." Bo replied sweetly. "Now, let's go, Lewis!" The blond laughed and then went about preparing for her shot. They took them at the same time and the liquid burned a little going down, quickly extinguished by the citrus juice.

"Mmm, I had forgotten how good that is," Lauren said, stacking her empty shot glass in Bo's. She reached for her water and opened it, taking a small drink. If they were going to mix alcohols, water was a good idea. So was food, for that matter; she hadn't eaten since lunch with Bo earlier. That memory made her smile. They had eaten a kielbasa with all the fixings from a vendor in the park, and then sat under a tree together while they shared gelato and talked. It had been so nice and so normal that it had given Lauren the date idea.

"We should really eat something, you know," Lauren shared as she watched Bo ready her second shot. "I know that alcohol has no effect on your _abilities_, but we mere mortals might have issues." She wiggled her eyebrows and Bo laughed. "Why don't you hold off and I will go order us something?"

"Okay." Bo put down the salt and nodded. Lauren walked away and it was Bo's turn to be undeniably turned on. She really loved how the skirt clung in all of the right places, shifting as the blonde strode purposefully across the room in her heels. Bo drank in the sight of Lauren's backside, picturing herself pressed against it, her fingers roaming over the smooth taught skin of her abdomen, feeling the muscles tense and release in response to her touch.

Her hunger rose unbidden and took Bo by surprise. Her meal of the dryad the previous day should have kept her inner succubus content for several days at least. Fae were always better in that way. If she fed primarily on humans, the effects tended to last only half the time. But oh how she _wanted_ to feed on Lauren again. She had always wanted that, but as her feelings had developed and she had found herself liking Lauren more and more, she had made a promise to herself – Lauren was _not_ food. After that, she had been content with what they had; she had even revelled in the normalcy of it all. When it had all gone to hell, the blow had been huge because that small part of her that still felt human was gone. Sure, there was Kenzi and as much as Bo loved her, it wasn't the same.

Growling, Bo sat back in her chair, closed her eyes, and focused the way Trick had taught her. She took her hunger, her need to feed, and she pushed it back, telling it very sternly that no matter what Lauren had done to save her the day before, she was most definitely _not_ on the menu; it wasn't going to happen again. She wasn't sure how long she sat like that, eyes closed, before she felt Lauren return to their table.

"Bo? Is everything alright?" She asked gently.

The succubus opened her eyes and smiled. "Yeah. I'm good. Just having a little discussion with old blue-eyes. No problem."

"I see." Lauren responded, though she clearly didn't quite understand. She reached across the table and laid her hand over Bo's. "You would tell me if you needed anything?"

"Yes." Was Bo's simple reply, "So, what's for dinner?" She asked, and her smile and relaxed demeanour did more than anything to assuage Lauren's concern. The blonde smiled back and told her what she had ordered for dinner. They each took a second shot of tequila, leaving the third untouched while Bo launched into a tale about something Trick had cooked for herself and Kenzi called _crème de la squid_. By the time their meal arrived, Lauren was laughing heartily at Bo's description of Kenzi when she learned what she had so readily eaten really was. It reminded Lauren of her reaction the foot soup prepared by the Aswang years ago, the one that had nearly killed the young woman with haemorrhagic fever.

When a waitress brought them their meal – a Cornish pasty filled with meat, potatoes, and vegetables, served with sage gravy, and smelling so good, it made Bo's stomach growl – the two women managed to pull themselves together long enough to eat. While they ate, the pub began to fill up with people. Some of them, including the ginger security guard, Bo recognised from Ciara's facility. A band also began to set up on the little stage at the far end of the dance floor. They both cleared their plates, and then finished the tequila shots.

The band finished its setup and began to play. The music reminded Bo, again, of something she would have heard at the Dal with her grandfather. There were four people in the band and each played a different instrument – drums, guitar, standing bass, and keyboard – and the music ebbed and flowed in a manner so lively that several people took to the dance floor. It was fun, watching the other people dance, and Bo and Lauren clapped in time to the music.

After a little while, the band took a break and the dance floor cleared for a bit. The two women finished their mugs of ale and Bo was contemplating asking Lauren if they were ready to leave. But then the band came back and several couples made their way onto the dance floor. Lauren stood up and held out her hand to Bo, eyes shining. The band announced something in German that sounded like a challenge; Lauren gave her date a wink and crooked her finger at her. Not sure what else to do, Bo stood and followed her onto the dance floor. A round of applause and cheers went up from the "audience".

When it was obvious to Lauren that Bo didn't know what she was doing, the doctor smiled and arranged their limbs just so, pulling the other woman close. "Follow my lead," she whispered with a grin. When Bo still looked unsure, she said, "Trust me." For some reason that made the succubus relax. Then the music started.

Bo couldn't have said what kind of dance it was, nor could she have said that she had ever danced like that. Lauren, on the other hand, moved with what seemed like effortless grace, the same way she did pretty much anything, and Bo was whisked about the dance floor. At first, Bo concentrated on not stepping on Lauren's feet or tripping over her own, which she was able to do after a few measures. By the time the first song ended, the succubus had relaxed just a little and allowed Lauren to truly lead the dance. If she thought that it was over after the first song, however, she soon learned she was wrong.

After the third song, Bo thought she was ready. As the band wound down and gave everyone a minute or so to catch their breaths, the succubus shifted her grip on Lauren and when the other woman raised an eyebrow in silent query, Bo simply smirked in reply. Letting out a little huff of laughter, Lauren gave Bo a "have it your way" smile and shifted as well. The music started and they began to move. Both women were equally startled to find that Bo really did know what she was doing – Bo because she was merely relying on instinct and Lauren because she had been sure Bo had no idea how to dance like this before tonight. As they swirled, dipped, and twirled their way over the dance floor, a few of the other couples stopped to watch them, eyeing the two women appreciatively.

The song ended with a flourish and Bo dipped Lauren so low the blonde thought she would touch the floor. The crowd in the pub clapped and cheered appreciatively, a couple calling out Lauren's name. The brunette slowly pulled her date to an upright position, making a good show of it and causing some people to cheer even more. Then music began to play again, this time something slow and soft. Instead of retreating back to their table, Bo shifted once again, simply wrapping her arms around Lauren and resting her chin on her shoulder.

"That was amazing," she murmured into Lauren's ear. "I didn't know you could dance."

"I've been taking lessons," Lauren replied. She pulled back from Bo's embrace to gaze up into her dark eyes, only barely visible in the dim lighting. Bo dropped her head so that their foreheads rested together and one hand wandered up Lauren's back and back down again.

"Did you plan this?" Bo wanted to know.

Lauren's answering smile was entirely too pleased. "Maybe."

In response, Bo kissed her and the promise the kiss contained made Lauren moan. When they parted, Bo brought her lips near Lauren's ear again and said, "I have never been more turned on in my life."

A thrill went down Lauren's spine at that and as the music ended, she pulled Bo from dance floor and back to their table where she got their coats and handed Bo's to her. Bo didn't have to ask what was going on, she knew. They were leaving. She grinned as Lauren fished several bills out of her pocket and threw them on the table before taking Bo's hand firmly in hers and pulling the willing succubus through the crowd and out the door.

**Author's Note: I am not sure why this took me so long to get out. But I will say that it was a pain to write. I wanted our ladies to have a really good first date, but I couldn't decide where it should be. If Bo had been in charge of the date, they probably would have ended up somewhere upscale and swanky because she thinks that is what Lauren likes and deserves. I thought it would be better this way because I think that Lauren, for as classy as she is, prefers places like The Dal. So, I finally came up with a way to make it classy – formal dancing – in a non-formal setting. Oh, and I think that I remembered reading a quote somewhere that goes something like, "If you want to bed a woman, do it in the bedroom. But if you want to seduce them, do it on the dance floor." Anyways, I hope it meets with your approval. Next chapter might be boring compared to this, but I will see what I can do to spice it up. BIG THANK YOU to everyone who reads and reviews!**


	12. Chapter 9

It All Starts With...

Part IX: Strategic Planning

Kenzi woke up slowly, letting herself luxuriate in how good she felt. It wasn't every night she got to go out to a club so goth it made her feel like little miss sunshine. At least the music had been good. And the company.

Boy oh boy had _that _ever been unexpected. So had the rest of her night.

As she woke further, she became aware of aches in places she hadn't had them in far too long. The rest of her felt relaxed and languid and perfect. The bed she was in was softer than down and the blanket atop her was warm without being too heavy. And the smell that surrounded her spoke very plainly of how the night had ended and the early, early morning had been welcomed.

It wasn't like Kenzi made a habit of going home with men she barely knew, but they had hit it off so well and after going to that little hole in the wall that reminded her of home, she had suddenly wanted this trip to hold memories of the carnal kind. She would make sure to tell her bestie _all_ the details.

A door opened and Kenzi opened her eyes to find two piercing green ones meeting her gaze. She smiled and sat up, not bothering to hold the blanket up as she did. Those bright green orbs followed the material as it slid down before coming back up to lock on her face, pupils dilated and a wide grin replacing the serious one he had started with.

"That is entirely unfair, you know," he said, voice coming out low and husky.

"And I told you last night," she began, grin turning into a smirk as he came fully into the room and made his way to the bed, "that I never play fair. It's no fun."

"And girls just want to have fun," he finished for her. He leaned in and gave her a long slow kiss, pressing his bare chest against hers.

"Mmm, good morning," she said when they finally parted. He just grinned at her, eyes sparkling.

"I haven't had this good of a morning in years." She admitted and that made him smirk. "Oh don't look so smug." She gave his arm a playful slap.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "I haven't woken up with a beautiful woman in my bed for a long time. Where are my manners?" He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers again and brought one hand up to lightly stroke her cheek before he ran his fingers over her hair and cupped the back of her head. Kenzi gave a little moan at the touch and pressed closer to him one arm snaking around his waist on pure reflex.

This time, when they parted they were both breathing a little harder than normal. _My god he is a phenomenal kisser_, Kenzi thought, her lips practically tingling. _Well, _that _isn't the only phenomenal thing about him_, she thought of the night before and fought back another moan. She thought maybe she could see Bo's point about doctors now.

"Did you sleep okay?" He finally asked.

"Very okay." She replied, "This bed is super comfy."

He laughed and the warmth of it slithered down Kenzi's spine and pooled in her stomach. His laugh, when she had heard it the night before, had been part of what she found so attractive about him. The other parts were good too. _So good_, she thought, looking up into his bright eyes. They were starting to darken and smoulder and more heat began to build up.

He leaned in and kissed her again, this time cupping her face in his hand and seeking gentle entrance with his tongue. Kenzi opened to him and brought her own arms up to twine about his neck. He made a sound low in his throat, laying her back on the bed and covering her petite form with his own.

His mouth moved on hers and one hand began to wander. Kenzi arched into his touch willingly - he had shown her just how talented his hands could really be last night - and things were just starting to get good when his cell phone on his nightstand began blaring Celine Dion of all things.

Cursing fluently in English, German, and surprisingly Russian - Kenzi had only taught him a few things last night - he gave her a very apologetic look, rolled off of her, and reached for the phone.

"Hello," he said and his voice made it clear that whoever was at the other end of the call was now on his list. "Oh, Cendtra what can I do for you? No, you didn't wake me." He sat up partially to mouth to Kenzi the word _work _with a roll of his eyes_._ She understood.

"Oh, she does? When? Yes. Understood. Uh...um, yes I'll pass it on. How did you kn- Oh, right. Um, you won't say anything, will you? Oh. Right. Uh," he cleared his throat, "Okay, 10:30 it is. Thank you."

He ended the call, set his phone down gently, then flopped down onto his back in the bed. After a few seconds, he rolled over onto his side, facing Kenzi.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.

He eyed her for a moment then he just grinned. "My sister has called for a meeting at eleven. Apparently she thinks if she forces The Trio into a room with everyone, including your Bo, that maybe we can put our heads together and figure out what that _thing _was."

Kenzi shuddered at the mental image of the huge monster crouched over Bo then flying off like it was nothing.

Seeing the movement, he reached his hand out, seeking hers and squeezed it reassuringly. "Ciara seems sure that we can figure it out if we all work together."

Kenzi let out a breath. "She's pretty optimistic isn't she?"

"Yes. But she was also a queen for several centuries and she knows how to get things done."

"I've seen her in action," Kenzi agreed, remembering how Ciara had fought when they went up against the Garuda. How she had nearly been killed to defend both Bo and herself. Of course, Bo had saved them all in the end and Ciara considered them more than even in the life-saving department.

Neither person in the bed said anything for a few moments, both lost in thought. Finally, Kenzi asked, "Are you okay? You know, with this," she motioned between the two of them with her hand. He blinked at her and frowned. She hurried on, a sinking feeling in her stomach replacing the warmth that had been there only moments ago, "I mean, if you don't want me to say anything to anybody, I won't."

He sighed loudly. "It isn't like that, Kenzi."

"Then what is it, Colin? Cuz it sure as hell sounded like you wanted it to be secret."

"I do, but not for the reason you think," he told her, putting one hand up and trying to be calm. Kenzi folded her arms across her chest and levelled her best, _I'm pissed but listening, this had better be good_, look at him. He didn't flinch. In fact his eyes seemed to soften and he touched her shoulder briefly.

"Kenzi. Look, I think that you can understand that in our line of work, with the _kinds_ of people we work with, the um, dating pool is pretty limited."

Kenzi gave him a grudging nod.

"Okay well... Even though it isn't against Fae law to date or love a human, to most of them, it is still pretty _distasteful_. At a place like the Facility, there are a lot of humans. But dating someone there is like High School. Once it is known...Ugh, I can't describe how impersonal your personal life gets."

Kenzi raised an eyebrow, "Know from experience do you?"

"No, actually. I know just from observing. I've only been there for a couple of years, just after Ciara brought Lauren on, actually. I got to see what it was like when a break up happens...It was like sharks or...or vultures...circling. I _really_ like you, Kenzi. You're smart and beautiful and you make me laugh. I respect you. I just didn't want your life to be fodder for gossip in that place."

Kenzi wanted to retort, wanted to ask if it wasn't _his_ reputation he was worried about and not hers. But as she looked into his eyes, she saw a truth there that kind of made her melt a little. They had known each other for all of maybe 48 hours, but he was being honest with her. He _liked_ her. Like, _liked _her liked her. She liked him, too. He was nice and friendly and funny and _sexy_. This would probably end badly, all things considered, but he had made a _very_ good point. Back home, dating wasn't really something she did. The normals would never be told about the Fae, and those in the know were pretty much seen as property or saw _her_ as Bo's property.

"Please don't be mad at me." Colin suddenly broke into her thoughts.

Kenzi gave him a soft smile. "I'm not. Thank you for trying to keep me out of the rumour mill." She took one of his hands in both of hers, playing with his long, strong fingers. They were surprisingly soft for a man. "I think the whole Tavern saw us making out, though."

He looked sheepish. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"Are you sorry about anything else?" Kenzi wanted to know, that little bit of feminine insecurity raising its ugly head.

"No," he told her firmly, his own smile coming back. He paused and said, "Well, maybe one thing."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he moved closer to her, taking his hand away from her so that he could reach up and brush a strand of her raven hair away from her cheek. "I am sorry that we have to go to a meeting. I was really hoping there would be time to _get to know you_. Again."

Kenzi glanced at the readout on his alarm clock. She moved fast, rolling him over and straddling his hips. Leaning down until she was a mere breath from his lips, she said, "There's time. But first, _Celine Dion_? Seriously?"

*#*#*#*

"Do you surrender?" Lauren asked breathing hard, but managing to keep the succubus' arms pinned. Bo bared her teeth in a silent snarl, her dark eyes dancing with barely contained mirth.

"Never! It'll take more than _this_ to stop me."

Lauren raised an eyebrow inquiringly. Bo continued to struggle, but she didn't let go. This was fun! Even though neither woman could say how exactly a random touch had ignited a tickle fight that had morphed into a full out wrestling match in the early morning, they were both enjoying themselves immensely. Now, Lauren found herself with the upper hand as she straddled Bo and held her wrists.

"What if I made a bet with you?" Lauren asked coyly.

Bo scoffed, "What kind of bet?" She smirked and tried to pull her arms away again, but the blonde held on.

"I bet I can get you to surrender in 60 seconds, but if I let go of your arms, you can't touch me for the _entire_ 60 seconds." Lauren replied, her voice dropping to a sexy purr.

Bo's pupils dilated and she abruptly stopped trying to get away. Her tongue flicked along her lower lip and her breathing became shallow. It took her a several long moments before she could form the words to respond. When she did, her voice sounded like honey and whiskey.

"You're pretty, ahem, confident. What do I get if you lose?"

Lauren's smirk turned predatory and she let go of Bo's wrists. The other woman lowered her hands to her sides. "I don't think there will be _any_ losers in this bet. Now, _no touching_."

With that, Lauren leaned down and captured Bo's lips in her own. She threaded her fingers into silky sable locks, tugging it until Bo lifted her chin, giving the doctor access to the long smooth column of her neck. Lips pressed along sensitive skin making both women shiver. Teeth pinched the tender skin behind Bo's ear, quickly replaced by a warm soothing tongue and finished off with a tender reverent kiss. Bo let out a soft moan, but her hands stayed at her sides.

Lauren travelled down again, along Bo's neck, finding the pulse point there. Her teeth bit once before being replaced by an insistent sucking and tongue that flicked in counter point to her rising heartbeat. From there, Lauren slid farther south; once she reached her destination she went to work with her tongue alone, making stiff peaks of Bo's nipples. Finally, she moved back to her original position, placing the lightest kiss on the succubus' lips.

"Well?" Lauren inquired, her voice smoky-sweet.

Bo gazed up at the gorgeous blonde woman straddling her. Her dark eyes were liquid and half-lidded, her mouth turned up in a ghost of her customary smirk. Bo's legs crossed and uncrossed unconsciously as liquid heat flowed between her thighs. She tried to speak but her mouth was dry and it took her a few tries.

Finally she managed to breathe, "I surrender."

Lauren flashed a satisfied smile before leaning forward once more and commanding, "Touch me, Bo," in that same tone.

That was all the succubus needed to hear; her hands moved like lightening - one to cup the back of Lauren's head to pull her down for a scorching kiss, and the other to glide down her spine with blunted finger nails to squeeze her tight rear-end and coax her to stretch out. One of Bo's thighs insinuated itself between Lauren's and both women groaned at the friction it caused.

Bo moved her hand from Lauren's head, between their bodies, to cup her breast, pinching an already hard nipple and causing the blonde to whimper. Their mouths warred and tongues tangled in wanton abandon. Lauren broke away first, needing oxygen, but fixated on Bo's neck once more and dipped her head, sucking intently at a sensitive spot.

"_Oh shit_," Bo hissed. It turned into a gasp a second later as the doctor added teeth. "_Lauren_." The name was said with such reverence that Lauren felt her breathing hitch and a warm shiver flowed down her spine. Suddenly she wanted nothing more than to see Bo writhe in the kind of pleasure she knew only she could give because she _knew _Bo and knew what she liked, wanted, _needed_.

Lauren made her way lower, using only her lips, tongue, and teeth to tease and ease and _arouse_ the succubus until a steady stream of random mono-syllables fell from Bo's lips, alternately commanding the doctor to stop and begging her for more. She would leave marks, she knew it, but she didn't care and she knew Bo wouldn't either. When Lauren reached her final destination and tasted what her touches and teasing had done, Bo's hips came off of the bed to meet her. The succubus practically shouted her name as Lauren buried her face between her lover's thighs.

"My god," Bo panted some time later as the blonde made her way back up and rested her head on the brunette's shoulder. Bo's arms came around her holding her hard and she kissed Lauren's hair.

"That was...Lauren, that was...god," Bo couldn't seem to form a full sentence. Lauren chuckled, giving her shoulder a gentle kiss.

Lauren closed her eyes and relaxed into Bo's embrace, licking her lips and smiling as she still tasted Bo upon them.

When Bo at last seemed to catch her breath, her hand began to move, but Lauren caught it at her hip and stilled it. Understanding her meaning, Bo pressed another kiss to Lauren's hair, shifting until they were both more comfortable. Then, just as the sun was coming up both women drifted off into a contented sleep.

When Lauren's phone began to blare just a seemingly short time later, the blonde roused herself and reluctantly detangled from Bo. Reaching for the source of the noise, she did her best to clear away the cobwebs of sleep. Looking at the caller ID, she frowned and answered the phone.

"Doctor Lewis." She tried to make her voice sound less tired than she was. It wasn't even 8:00am for crying out loud.

_"Lauren, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" _Came Ciara's chipper British accent. Not for the first time since she had worked for the Faery queen, Lauren utterly despised how she could be so _awake_ so early.

"Mmm, yes. It's okay. Is something wrong?" Lauren also knew that since Ciara had promised her a couple of days off, the woman wouldn't be calling her unless it was important.

_"No, not wrong. I'm sorry, Lauren, I've been trying to get a meeting arranged between all parties in this _business_. I'm bloody tired of this lack of cooperation. We all need to work together or there could be another attack and we are woefully unprepared."_

"Oh. Oh, well, yes. What do you have in mind?"

_"I've arranged a meeting of the minds, today, at eleven o'clock this morning. I need you, Colin, Kenzi, and Bo to be at the Facility by 10:30." _Ciara ordered. _"I've already had Cendtra phone Colin and I will speak with Bo as soon as we are through."_

Lauren cleared her throat, "Oh, alright. You... you don't need to call Bo. I'll tell her. We'll be there." There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Ciara?"

_"Lauren, is Bo there with you now?"_

Lauren swallowed audibly but answered, "Yes, she is." Ciara began to chuckle. "What?" Lauren asked and Ciara's chuckle turned into a giggle. Lauren rolled her eyes. "Just say it, Ciara."

The Faery woman's giggle morphed into a full blown chortle. The human woman rolled her eyes, sighed, and waited.

Beside her in bed, Bo stirred, yawning and blinked up at Lauren. She frowned sleepily in question. The doctor gave her a sweet smile and mouthed _Ciara_. That made Bo frown more, dark brows drawing together. In response, Lauren leaned down, brushing her lips against the succubus' cheek.

In the meantime, Ciara seemed to pull herself together, though her voice remained jovial.

_"Oh dear, I'm sorry, Lauren. Really, I am. It's just... That didn't take long, did it?"_

"Ciara I -"

_"- I didn't even know you two had that kind of a connection. You never said."_ Ciara said.

"I... Can we talk about this later, please?" Lauren begged of her boss. She knew now that the cat was out of the bag, if she didn't put a stop to it, Ciara was going to give her the third degree. She liked the woman, she really did, but Ciara could often take her mothering a little too far for Lauren's comfort. If, however, she promised to talk later, she could at least have time to prepare her answers.

_"Oh, later, absolutely. _You_ have some explaining to do."_ Ciara was laughing at her again. Lauren forced herself not to growl something unkind.

"Thank you. We'll be there by 10:30."

At that, Ciara was immediately back to business. _"Excellent. Thank you, Lauren. Shall I phone Kenzi or do you think Bo would rather?"_

"I'll have Bo do it. Kenzi is... I'll have Bo call her." Lauren replied. She really didn't want Ciara to get the brunt of not-quite-awake Kenzi. Bo knew best how to handle that. Especially if the younger woman had been drinking the night before.

_"Very well. I will see you all at the Facility."_ Ciara replied. Though her voice was steady, Lauren could still hear an edge of humour to it.

"Give Stefan a hug for me." She said before pressing the 'end' button on her phone. Then, before Bo could say anything, Lauren rolled over and buried her face in silken brunette locks with a groan.

Confused, Bo began to rub small soothing circles on the blonde's bare back. It felt so nice that Lauren stayed like that for a few minutes and just breathing in Bo's comforting scent. Finally she pulled back, sat up, and broke the bad news to her.

Bo frowned and let out a grumbling sigh. They hadn't had any plans for the day, but staying in and discovering new ways to make each other breathless had been on the top of _her_ list. It amused the succubus to no end how easy it had been between them since the night before. The awkwardness was gone, replaced with genuine pleasure at being in each other's company after so many years apart.

Something in Lauren had changed in her three years away from the Ash. She was happier, more carefree, and smiled a lot more than Bo was used to seeing. She was also a lot freer with the things she said, too. She took more chances with herself. Bo thought of the conversation they had while sharing gelato the day before.

_They each chose a flavour of cold smooth tastiness and found a seat side-by-side under a tree. Bo dipped in the spoon and held it up for Lauren to taste. The blonde smiled and offered her some of hers. _

_"Oh wow, that is _good_." Bo said when she swallowed the sweet and creamy coffee-flavoured treat. "I should have gotten _that_ one."_

_Lauren laughed. "You haven't even tried yours yet, how do you know?"_

_Bo grinned and took a bite. Decadent chocolate perfection melted on her tongue and she closed her eyes, making a soft _mmm_ of pleasure. "Okay, you might be right." She admitted._

_That made Lauren laugh again and scoop more gelato on to her spoon. "Does that mean you aren't going to share?"_

_Bo grinned. "Maybe." She ate another spoonful, slowly, licking her lips when she was done._

_"You missed a spot," Lauren told her._

_"Where?" Bo asked; she licked her lips again. "Did I get it?"_

_"Mmm-mmm." Lauren shook her head. She quirked her eye-brow. "May I?" Without waiting for an answer she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the corner of Bo's mouth, flicking the tip of her tongue out _just so_. Bo couldn't help herself; she turned completely into the other woman to capture her lips. She expected Lauren to pull away - the old Lauren was never big on a public display of affection bigger than holding hands or the seemingly casual touch. Much to Bo's surprise, it took very little time before she felt Lauren's tongue probe her lower lip, seeking entrance. It shocked Bo but she also relished it. The gelato was forgotten for a long moment. _

_"Well, I think we can safely assume you got it," Bo finally said when they parted._

_Lauren licked her lips with a smirk, but didn't say anything at first. She ate some of her treat in the silence and Bo did the same. Finally, the silence was broken, "Today has been amazing, Bo. Thank you for spending it with me."_

_Taken aback once more, Bo could only smile. Taking this as a good sign, Lauren continued, "I would really like it if you would come out with me tonight."_

_"O-on like a d-date?" Bo blinked rapidly in her shock. _

_"Yes. Bo Dennis, would you go on a date with me?" Lauren's voice was hesitant and full of hope. Bo didn't stop to think. She looked up into soulful chestnut eyes, eyes that she had missed being able to see for three long years. _

_She knew that neither she nor Lauren were the same people that they had once been. Time and circumstance had changed them both. They hadn't talked about that, yet, skirting around the hard, uncomfortable subjects. It would happen soon Bo knew, and it was scary to think about, but in the meantime, a date sounded like fun. It sounded like a lot of fun. _

_"Yes. I'd like that." The succubus replied with a bright smile._

"Hey where'd you go?" Lauren asked, breaking into Bo's reverie.

The succubus blinked several times to clear her head. "Sorry, guess I'm not quite awake yet." She replied, faking a yawn and rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. "What's up?"

Lauren's smile was only a little bit smirk-y. "I asked if you wanted to shower first."

Bo put on a pout, "By myself?"

Lauren tilted head, eyes briefly flashing with contained desire. "I don't want to be late and if I were to join you, I can't guarantee that we wouldn't be."

Bo let out a huff and muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Lauren asked sweetly.

"_Some_ of us can be fast." The succubus repeated her comment.

"Is that _another_ challenge?" The blonde cocked a golden eyebrow at her. "I would think you would know better by now."

"Maybe I'm a slow learner," Bo responded with her trademark smirk.

"Far from it. You know so much more than people give you credit for. You're not just a pretty face." Lauren leaned down to brush her lips against Bo's forehead. "Now come on, Succubus, if you think you're up to the challenge, let's take a _quick_ shower."

Bo made a happy sound in the back of her throat and sat up, the sheets and blankets slipping from her body. Lauren surveyed the marks that she had made earlier, wincing a little at a particularly dark purple spot between her breasts. Bo looked down at herself and then back at the other woman with a wide grin for a moment. Then she sighed, brows furrowing slightly.

"Uh I have a slight wardrobe problem," she said. "All of my clothes, except what I wore last night are at the hotel."

"I know. But it's okay." Lauren stood up and held out her hand, "Now come on. Unless you don't think you're up for it."

Forgetting her clothing dilemma, the succubus took her hand and followed her into the bathroom.

*#*#*#*

Ciara was seated on the couch in her office when the group of four arrived. Kenzi was laughing at something Lauren had said and despite the situation at hand, the faery woman couldn't help but feel better at the sound. She had been _right_ to call Bo in on this. She did not care if the others involved didn't like it; having worked with Bo before, even in a limited capacity, she knew the succubus was surprisingly good at what she did. If she weren't the Ash would not continue to retain her freelance services. Now if only they could make the Trio understand that.

As the group entered her office, Ciara gave them her best smile. "Hello. Thank you all for coming today." She shot them all - Bo and Lauren especially - an apologetic look. Both women simply nodded in acceptance. "Please, sit down." She gestured at the couch beside her and the three chairs that sat on the opposite side of the small coffee table. Lauren took her customary seat next to Ciara on the sofa, Bo in the chair closest to Lauren, Kenzi next to her, and Colin seating himself beside the raven-haired young woman with his customary ease. Ciara nodded once and reached for the electronic tablet on the table in front of her.

"First of all, I am sorry to have cut your recuperation short, however, I'm afraid that with the attack on this facility matters have escalated."

Everyone nodded solemnly at this. Ciara continued, "I wanted you all here so that I could go over the meeting we are about to attend, in an effort to gang up on the Trio and make them see reason enough to cooperate instead of blocking Bo and Kenzi from information and resources that they may need. Bo, I hope that you don't mind, but I put in a call to the Toronto police in an attempt to get some kind of favourable declamation of all you have done there. I was assured that something would be put together and faxed to the Trio. Hopefully it can show them that your relative youth by Fae standards has no bearing on your investigative skills."

"A lot of what I do for them isn't exactly on the books," Bo interjected with a slight frown.

"Yes I am aware of that but Captain Hale said he would type up the recommendation himself." Ciara told her with a grin. Bo blinked in surprise, but Kenzi barked out a triumphant laugh and raised a fist in the air.

"Oh yeah! Hale to the rescue!"

"Hale is Captain now?" Lauren smiled too.

"Yeah, when he was interim Ash, he decided that as much as he liked being a detective, he was a pretty good bureaucrat. When the office came up, he went for it and got the job." Bo explained.

"That was just last year," Kenzi added. "He is so good at the job we hardly get to see him anymore."

"Kenz..." Bo said, her tone made it clear that they had talked about this before.

Kenzi sighed and rolled her eyes, "I know, I know. He is better positioned now to help the Fae, blah, blah, blah. Doesn't mean I don't miss him once in a while."

Bo gave her friend a commiserating look.

Ciara could help but smile just a little at their banter. "Well, all I can say is that I hope whatever it is that Hale says helps our cause."

Kenzi snorted and rolled her eyes again, "I got the feeling nothing short of brainwashing would make those two ass-hats believe that the Bo-ster and I can help. Getting attacked here probably won't make them more inclined."

"Kenzi may have a point," Lauren put in, "If the creature followed you here, Bo, and attacked, they may see you as weaker and therefore even less experienced than before."

That made Bo frown at the blonde, but Lauren reached over and gave her knee reassuring squeeze; obviously _she_ didn't feel that way.

Ciara nodded in agreement. "Yes, I had thought the same, but since the encounter was not a fatal one and because we have a description of the creature, that gives us some leverage that we did not have before." Ciara paused and looked between Bo and Lauren. "One thing I can't figure out is how it got into the lobby in the first place."

Bo and Lauren exchanged another glance, this one was just a little uncertain.

"What?" Ciara asked and the two women let out simultaneous sighs. "What is it?"

"It walked through the front doors." Bo said.

"It did what?" Kenzi blurted. The others looked equally confused. "That thing was huuuge," the petite brunette continued in her astonishment, "How in the hell did it even get in the _doors_?" Strangely, Kenzi turned her piercing eyes on the blonde doctor for an explanation.

Lauren nodded her agreement, though her face still held evidence of her uncertainty. It was Bo's turn to reassure the other woman laying her hand over the one still on her knee. Lauren gave her a searching look and the succubus nodded her head once.

She cleared her throat and said, "I know it doesn't make much sense, but that's what happened. Except the creature wasn't that thing everyone else saw, it was a man."

"That thing is a _shifter_?" Kenzi blurted again. She slumped back against her chair. "Did you at least get a good look at the _person_?"

Bo and Lauren exchanged another look. "We saw him," Bo said with a distinct edge in her voice.

"Why do you sound so unsure of that?" Ciara asked gently. She was fairly certain she was not going to like the answer.

"Yeah Bo-Bo, what gives? Doc?" Kenzi asked, "If you saw him, you can describe him and give those two doubters something sour to swallow."

"We _did_ see him," Bo said again. "We did. But..." she looked to Lauren for help.

"We talked about this, Bo and I, and we each saw something -_someone_ - different." Lauren finished.

All three of the others turned confused gazes on the two women.

Colin, who had been quiet up to this time, asked slowly, "You each saw a different person? How is that possible?"

Bo and Lauren exchanged another uneasy glance before Lauren cleared her throat and described, "I saw a middle-aged man with no hair and greenish eyes. Apart from that, there isn't anything else that I can recall. And the more I try to remember, the muddier it gets. Bo?"

"Right. I saw a guy who didn't look all that old, with brown hair and green eyes. And just like Lauren, the harder I try to remember anything else, the foggier my memory becomes. It's almost like he didn't have definite form or like he was trying to hypnotize me." She paused and shrugged helplessly, "I think that snake-tale tried something, but he didn't count on old 'Blue' taking offense to that. Sorry we can't be of more help." Lauren nodded solemnly.

Ciara pursed her lips in thought. "Actually, I think you've been more help than you know."

"How so?" Lauren asked, both she and Bo perking up at that. They both wished they could be of more help in stopping whatever this thing was.

"Well, the phenomenon you just described is called 'glamour' and it is an ability that I thought lost to the Fae for many, many years. Knowing this, it will help us to narrow down possible 'suspects'." Ciara explained. "If this Fae is just old, perhaps it can be reasoned with."

"How is that possible? I mean, if this thing is so old, where has it been? Why has it come out now?"

Lauren answered, "I've read about Fae that hibernate for years, sometimes for a century or so." She glanced at Ciara who nodded at her to go on. "Well, it's possible that whatever this thing is, it has been hibernating and woke up to a much changed world that it doesn't understand. It may be lashing out because it is afraid."

Kenzi snorted and rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. Nobody else said anything for a moment. Ciara finally broke the silence.

"Well, I think we have what we need. I've invited a couple of other people to this meeting who may be able to help in identifying the creature." She sat up straighter and looked them each in the eyes, her expression a little mischievous. "Here's what we're going to do..."


End file.
